Former WWE Champion AJ Styles was injured just minutes after his return.
Update: In a recent update shared by Jackie Redmond, Styles has suffered a ‘mid-foot ligament sprain’ also known as a Lisfranc injury. The former champion is now set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of his injury.
The October 4th, 2024 episode of SmackDown witnessed the long-awaited return of The Phenomenal One. Styles was seen in an ‘I Quit’ match against Cody Rhodes at Clash at the Castle in Scotland, in a losing cause.
Although, out of television, Styles was active on the wrestling scene, fighting regularly at live events and participating in the promotion’s European and Japanese tours. After an absence of several months, the former WWE Champion finally returned tonight.
Styles reintroduced himself as a babyface and regretted his past actions but was interrupted by Carmelo Hayes. Soon after, the two were booked to face each other in a match. However, minutes into the match, AJ Styles seemingly suffered a left ankle injury while performing a springboard moonsault DDT and an Ushigoroshi
— The Wrestling Blog (@WrestlingBlog_) October 5, 2024
Although the match continued for some time it was paused midway and Hayes was declared the winner. Fans then saw Styles limp away to the back. Soon after, Michael Cole and Corey Graves confirmed Styles’ visit to a local hospital as backstage footage played of a doctor checking Styles’ ankle.
It is yet to be confirmed if the injury is kayfabe, or real. We will keep updating this article as we receive more information on the injury. With Hayes scoring a victory over Styles now, fans can expect a future title match between LA Knight and Carmelo Hayes.
We at Inside The Ropes wish AJ Styles a speedy and safe recovery.
Vince McMahon Was Once Worried About WWE’s Future
Speaking on the ‘Mr.McMahon‘ docuseries on Netflix, Vince McMahon revealed a moment when he was worried about his promotion’s future. Speaking about the Monday Night War between WCW Nitro and RAW, he claimed:
As soon I heard they were going to go head-to-head, that was like, ‘Oooh, oh. We’re in trouble. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but it won’t be good or it was gonna put us out of business, quite frankly.”
In other news: A Former AEW TBS Champion is set to undergo a character change.