Raw Opener in Belfast Leads to AJ Styles Putting His Career on the Line Against Gunther

Gunther asked AJ Styles to put his career on the line if he wanted a rematch with The Ring General. They traded barbs in the opening segment of Raw.

Raw Opener in Belfast Leads to AJ Styles Putting His Career on the Line Against Gunther

Gunther and AJ Styles on Raw [via- WWE]

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

This week’s Raw in Belfast kicked off with Gunther coming out to a cascade of boos. Just as he was bragging about putting away AJ Styles last Monday, ‘The Phenomenal One’ interrupted the Austrian shortly into his promo.

After the controversial finish to their last week’s showdown, Styles asked for a rematch, which ‘The Ring General’ declined. The former Imperium member said that there was no incentive to wrestle Styles again after proving that he was smarter and a better wrestler than ‘Mr. TNA’ in their epic battle in Dusseldorf.

It appeared as if Gunther was to exit the ring, but he turned around and pitched ‘The Face That Runs the Place’ to put his career on the line if he wanted a rematch at the Royal Rumble.

Gunther hoped to hear back from Styles by the end of the night unless the latter wasn’t scared. Later on, the former Bullet Club member informed Adam Pearce that he would indeed put his career on the line against Gunther. The Raw GM warned Styles that there was no coming back from it. ‘The Georgia Pitbull’ didn’t back down and insisted that Pearce make the match official.

Styles had made Gunther tap out to the calf crusher last Monday. However, the referee didn’t see it and therefore refused to call for the bell. ‘The Ring General’ eventually low-blowed the 48-year-old and slammed him down with a powerbomb to score the pinfall.

Many fans have already predicted that their feud wasn’t over by any stretch based on that sort of ending. There’s a growing suspicion among fans that AJ Styles might actually lose to Gunther in Riyadh and call it quits to a legendary career. A while ago, Fightful reported that The Phenomenal One’s WWE contract would expire in February 2026.

Unless an extension is signed, which hasn’t happened as of now, the former IWGP Champion is close to retiring. Although it’s not confirmed, there’s a glimmer of hope among wrestling fans that Styles might end up extending his contract by a few months so that he could have his farewell match at WrestleMania 42.

What else happened on this week’s Raw?

In other notable stuff on Raw, Je’Von Evans got himself injured during his match with El Grande Americano. ‘The Young OG’ hurt his shoulder and received medical attention at ringside. After a brief medical evaluation, it was determined that Evans was no longer able to continue the match. Americano was declared the winner as a result of it. The 21-year-old had been on a roll of late.

WWE RAW
WWE Raw (via- WWE)

He had already beaten Bravo and Rayo Americano in recent weeks with some awe-inspiring performances. Evans was looking good to put away their leader as well. However, that unfortunate injury derailed his momentum. PWInsider reported after Raw that Je’Von Evans was reportedly fine.

There was no backstage concern about an injury, but people certainly feared a concussion, which remains uncertain at this point. In some women’s division action, Becky Lynch retained her Intercontinental Championship against Maxxine Dupri. It was a shocker as Natalya, who was in Dupri’s corner for the match, cost her Dungeon sparring partner in a shocking turn of events.

The Alpha Academy member couldn’t believe what ‘Nattie’ had done to her. She turned around and got planted by Lynch with a Manhandle Slam. ‘The Man’ got the win, and she escaped the ring with the title. Dupri got assaulted by ‘The Queen of Harts’ in its aftermath.

Even though Dupri tried fighting back to the best of her abilities, the longest-tenured female WWE star was just too much for Maxxine to handle. ‘Nattie’ also locked Dupri into a Sharpshooter and didn’t break the hold until the referee’s intervention. It’d be interesting to see what’s next in their story.

Also Read: