AJ Styles will be fighting for his career when he faces Gunther at the Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Gunther entered Styles’ radar in the aftermath of the former’s submission victory over John Cena in his retirement match. Having made Cena give up at Saturday Night’s Main Event in December, Gunther had been gloating on “WWE Raw” in the weeks following, thus drawing the ire of one of Cena’s iconic rivals in Styles.
Gunther and Styles met in the ring during last week’s “Raw” for a singles clash in Berlin, Germany, with Styles looking to beat respect into the “Ring General.” After a back-and-forth contest it looked as though he would achieve that, locking Gunther into the Calf Crusher and getting him to tap out – but not in view of the referee. While the decision was being disputed by Styles, Gunther took advantage and picked up the win.
Styles sought another match to resolve the asterisk over the first one on Monday’s “Raw,” but Gunther said that he would only agree to a rematch if Styles put his career on the line. Styles said he would have to think about it, though in a later backstage segment he confirmed to General Manager Adam Pearce that he wanted the rematch. Thus, the match was made official; Gunther’s third match since retiring John Cena will be an opportunity to retire Styles in Saudi Arabia.
