John Cena and A.J. Styles were face off in one-on-one action for the third time at the Royal Rumble. However, this match has a lot more at stake with Styles' WWE championship on the line. Can Cena vs. Styles III be better than their match at last year's SummerSlam?
Cena returned to television in the last SmackDown Live show of 2016. He cut an intense, heelish promo that got everyone talking. He announced that he will be challenging the WWE champion at the Royal Rumble.
Later that night, Styles retained the WWE championship by defeating Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler in a Triple Threat Match. Cena came out in the end and the two rivals shook hands as SmackDown ended 2016 on a high note.
It showed that two men respected each other despite their rivalry. That alone is enough to get any wrestling fan excited for their third match. However, Cena and Styles took it up a notch with another intense and personal segment in this week's SmackDown.
As recapped by WWE.com, Styles blasted Cena for getting a title shot despite missing the last three months. He also said that Cena can never be as good as The Rock in Hollywood or as good in the ring as him.
The 15-time WWE champ fired back with his usual passionate promo. The exchange was enough for the fans to cheer for Cena and boo Styles. The contract signing segment ended with Baron Corbin's interruption with Styles hitting a cheap shot on Cena.
Now that the storyline has kicked into high gear, can Cena vs. Styles III be better than their SummerSlam match last year? Cena and Styles tore the house down at SummerSlam in one of the matches of the year.
It was a five-star match for many fans as the two rivals used everything on their arsenal to take each other out. At the end, it was Styles who got the win after hitting the Styles Clash before finishing it up with the Phenomenal Forearm.
The third installment of Cena vs. Styles has more potential because of the stories involved around it. Styles has to defend his WWE championship while Cena needs to prove that he can beat his rival in one-on-one action. He is currently 0-2 against "The Phenomenal One" in his WWE career.
Styles, who is arguably the best wrestler in the world today, can make anyone look good. On the other hand, Cena is a big time performer and he has produced some of the best matches of the last ten years. There is a big chance that Cena vs. Styles III will exceed expectations and be better than their SummerSlam Match.
Also, Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega produced an early Match of the Year candidate at NJPW's Wrestle Kingdom 11, per Sports Illustrated. The WWE knows that they have to produce an even better match and Styles vs. Cena can certainly do it.
Check out the video below to watch the contract signing from this week's SmackDown Live. And for more WWE news, rumors and updates, just follow me on Twitter @johnnyrundown.