Credit: WWE.com
Can AJ Styles escape WWE TLC with his title intact?
At WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2016, the long-running rivalry between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose will culminate in a TLC match for Styles' WWE World Championship.
These two have been at odds for months, dating back to Styles beating Ambrose to capture his premiere world title in the WWE at September's Backlash pay-per-view. He then successfully defended the strap against Ambrose on an episode of SmackDown Live and again at No Mercy, but The Lunatic Fringe has remained resilient in regaining the gold.
With some help from James Ellsworth, Ambrose was able to overcome Styles on the Nov. 1 edition of SmackDown, earning himself another opportunity at the title at TLC. This time, however, with it being a TLC match, the stakes will be higher than they ever have been before.
In the meantime, Styles has been busy attempting to lead Team SmackDown to victory at Survivor Series and dealing with the thorn in his side that is James Ellsworth. "The Man with Two Fists" owns three wins over Styles, as well as a future shot at the strap.
With Ellsworth involved in the ruthless rivalry between Ambrose and Styles of late, how will he factor into the finish of Sunday's highly anticipated main event?
Credit: WWE.comNeedless to say, it's high time some fresh faces entered the title picture. Ambrose has been battling for the prestigious prize since the summer, and TLC will mark the fifth faceoff between him and Styles in recent months.
Furthermore, Ellsworth has been overexposed throughout the angle—to the point where his involvement in the feud must be leading somewhere eventually. If not, he has taken a significant amount of focus off what was previously a hot program.
That begs the question of whether he could cost Ambrose the WWE World Championship on Sunday. While Ellsworth could be an entertaining sidekick for Styles, Ambrose is in desperate need of a change of character.
During the build to No Mercy, Ambrose teased turning on John Cena, and that looked to be a feud that was bound to come to fruition in the final few months of the year. Unfortunately, Cena's absence from programming forced the WWE to rekindle the rivalry with Styles and Ambrose instead.
That said, they should deliver an incredible contest in such an extreme environment, especially considering Ambrose's wild history of TLC matches at the annual event.
In his first official match on the main roster, Ambrose teamed with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns to take on Ryback and Team Hell No in an exhilarating TLC match at the 2012 installment. He competed in his second TLC match two years later against Bray Wyatt and once again had an outstanding outing.
Styles has participated in his fair share of gimmick matches over the course of his career, but he has yet to take part in anything quite like TLC in the WWE. To boot, he will have a dangerous opponent in Ambrose, so their match should be nothing short of sensational.
Looking ahead, Styles retaining his title is the only outcome that makes sense. Ambrose is far more compelling in chase mode than he is as champion, while Styles still has plenty of people to defend against in the coming months.
From what he teased on SmackDown's historic 900th episode, The Undertaker would be a logical opponent for Styles at the Royal Rumble in January. From there, Styles has potential programs with Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Cena lined up if he can get past The Deadman.
Regardless of the result, Styles and Ambrose should produce an instant classic at the WWE's version of the Demolition Derby. The entire card is stacked from top to bottom, but this will be the match that fans will remember most by the end of the evening.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.