AJ Styles defeated Drew Gulak on SmackDown last week. Gulak held a win over Styles and had challenged The Phenomenal One for the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown. With Gulak losing to Styles, there is a chance that AJ Styles will feud with Matt Riddle next.
Matt Riddle defeated AJ Styles in his SmackDown debut a few weeks back. Dave Meltzer of WON noted that this win over Styles practically guarantees Riddle a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. However, as The Original Bro is currently feuding with King Corbin, his match with Styles may be delayed till SummerSlam.
Talking about the matches set to take place at Extreme Rules: Horror Show, Meltzer said that King Corbin vs Matt Riddle is likely to happen. The winner, who will probably be Riddle, shall go on to face AJ Styles at SummerSlam.
A.J. Styles vs. Matt Riddle was also already set up when Riddle beat Styles in a non-title match. It also could be Riddle vs. King Corbin, which has also been pushed on television, with the idea of a Riddle win to set up the Styles match at SummerSlam.
AJ Styles' future plans
AJ Styles won the Intercontinental Championship by beating Daniel Bryan for the vacant IC Championship. Daniel Bryan was involved in a segment with AJ Styles' coronation as the Champion which led fans to believe that their feud isn't over.
However, with Daniel Bryan being absent from SmackDown for the past few weeks, it leaves a question mark on their program. It is possible that AJ Styles will have a rematch with Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules: Horror Show. This match would help build Matt Riddle vs AJ Styles at SummerSlam.
As per reports, Vince McMahon is very impressed with Matt Riddle so there is a solid chance that The Original Bro could become the next Intercontinental Champion.
AJ Styles has done a great job as the IC Champion and a feud with Matt Riddle would certainly help the former NXT Superstar get over. However, it would be smarter to keep the title on AJ Styles for now as Matt Riddle isn't ready.