A member of The O.C. admitted that the faction was missing a piece while AJ Styles out was out of action after suffering a broken ankle at a WWE Live Event in December.
AJ Styles recently returned to the company after being selected by SmackDown in the WWE Draft. He reunited with Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Michin (Mia Yim) to reform The O.C. on the blue brand. The Phenomenal One is a part of the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament that will be continuing this Friday night on SmackDown.
Seth Rollins has already qualified for the finals of the tournament taking place at Night of Champions on May 27th.
Speaking on WWE's The Bump, Michin said AJ Styles was like a missing piece for The O.C., and it is great to have him back:
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"It was a missing piece when AJ was gone. We tried to stay afloat but coming to SmackDown, it is like a fresh new restart. We've got AJ back and the band is back together. I'm excited to showcase on SmackDown what more we can do now that we are all back together, we're all fresh, and we're ready to go. Man, it is such a good feeling, and of course, after the shows, we get to go out to the bars and AJ can drink his orange juice, and the boys and I can drink our adult beverages," said Michin.
Michin on The Viking Raiders attacking The O.C. during AJ Styles' return to WWE SmackDown
The Viking Raiders attacked The O.C. on a recent addition of SmackDown, but the faction quickly battled back and got the better of the heels.
The O.C. returned to the blue brand on the April 28th edition of SmackDown and AJ Styles was about to cut a promo when The Viking Raiders interrupted. The two factions brawled, with The O.C. winning the battle. AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and Michin then posed over a beaten-down Erik at the end of the segment.
During her interview on WWE's The Bump, Michin claimed that The Viking Raiders were tring to ruin their moment on SmackDown and got what they deserve:
"We were trying to have a feel good moment when we first came back, with AJ (Styles) coming back and they wanted to ruin the moment. Listen, the saying goes, you 'F around and you'll find out', and they found out," added Michin.
The O.C. has a fresh start on SmackDown following this year's draft. It will be interesting to see if they are able to establish themselves as a faction to be taken seriously on the same brand as The Bloodline.
Are you glad that AJ Styles has returned to The O.C. in WWE? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.