A.J. Styles defeated Dean Ambrose at Backlash 2016 on September 11 to become the WWE World Champion. The latest rumors have revealed the possible date when Styles drop the title, presumably to John Cena.
The 39-year-old WWE champion is considered by many as the best wrestler in the world at the moment while also the frontrunner for WWE Superstar of the Year. He made his WWE debut in January at the Royal Rumble before proceeding to have a great series of matches with Chris Jericho.
Styles then had a couple of title matches with then-WWE champion Roman Reigns that stole the show and proved why he belongs in the biggest wrestling company in the world. He then turned heel by attacking Cena and defeating him at SummerSlam 2016.
The former TNA, ROH and IWGP world champion went on to challenge Ambrose at Backlash 2016 to win his first-ever championship in the WWE. He was able to successfully defend it against Cena and Ambrose on Sunday at No Mercy 2016 in a Triple Threat Match.
According to Ringside News, Styles is scheduled to have another match with Ambrose for the WWE title at the Survivor Series in November. It is also mentioned that Cena will be on hiatus to film the second season of his television show but he is expected to be back at WWE TLC.
"John Cena is taking a hiatus from WWE to film the upcoming season of American Grit. The plan for Cena when he comes back is to challenge Styles for the Championship title, possibly the TLC event. WWE will play off the idea that Styles has defeated Cena three times in a row," the report noted.
On the other hand, there is no guarantee that Cena will come back for the rest of the year since he is not advertised for the annual WWE Christmas Tour. According to The Inquisitr, one possible challenger for Styles is none other than The Miz.
The former Intercontinental champion is ready for the main event again after a great feud with Dolph Ziggler. He has earned himself a nice push at the top and a great way to start it off with a feud for the WWE World Championship.
As for Styles' WWE World title plans, it is expected that he will drop the title to Cena for him to break Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships. However, it should be noted that these are just rumors at the moment and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Another angle planned for Cena besides a 16th world title is a dream match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33. Check out the video below for Styles' photoshoot after winning the WWE World Championship at Backlash 2016.