WWE SmackDown: 5 Reasons why AJ Styles won the Intercontinental Championship

#4. WWE didn't want/need a babyface Champion

A phenomenal shot

When looking at the current Champions on RAW and SmackDown, it's primarily dominated by babyfaces. The WWE Championship, Universal Championship, RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and the United States Championship are all held by babyfaces.

The only heel Champions happen to be Sasha Banks and Bayley, with the latter holding two Championships. While it may not seem like such things matter, the reality is that these kinds of factors play a big role when making such decisions.

It makes sense as well since WWE needs a balance between heel and face Champions. There have been periods where heel Champions have dominated, but this isn't one of them. We mustn't forget that AJ Styles' first Championship win in 2016 was the WWE title and his four-month run with the title was one where he was a top heel.

At the time, SmackDown needed a top heel and WWE decided to go with the man who had only signed with the company around eight months before.