“The Phenomenal” AJ Styles gave the fans a scare last night on “WWE SmackDown” in Nashville, Tennessee, when they saw him limping towards the end of his one-on-one return match with Carmelo Hayes. According to Fightful, the two-time WWE Champion did not sustain a leg injury. In fact, he is fine and healthy, as what happened last night was a planned injury angle.
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Before being hauled off to the back, Styles spoke to the crowd at last night’s “SmackDown,” refocused on rebuilding his legacy in the company. Hayes, who scored his third and record-tying victory against Andrade in their last contest on September 27, is trying to move on to greener pastures, which includes a shot at the United States Championship. Styles noted to Hayes that this challenge would be a tough fight to win as the current champion, LA Knight, enjoys relying on psychological warfare in his matches, something Styles knows quite well. Rather than heed Styles’ warning, the two traded barbs, with Knight looking on. During their match, Styles’ knee buckled when he dropped Hayes on it from the Fireman’s Carry position. It appeared his foot was not planted properly on the mat. Styles pulled himself underneath the ropes, and a ringside doctor escorted him to the back.
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Last night’s return came after Styles took a catastrophic loss to Cody Rhodes for his Undisputed WWE Championship in an “I Quit” match at Clash at the Castle in June. In the last few seconds of their 45-minute bout, Rhodes lifted a pair of steel stairs he planned to smash into Styles’ face. And just in the nick of time, Styles muttered the words “I Quit” before tragedy almost struck.