The red brand just got a whole lot more Phenomenal! AJ Styles made his grand return at the Royal Rumble, and now, thanks to some last-minute GM wizardry, he’s officially part of the WWE Raw roster. That’s right—Adam Pearce pulled some strings, stretched the rules, and maybe even filled out some paperwork very quickly to make sure the transfer happened before the WWE deadline.
Pearce revealed in a backstage segment on Raw that, while the transfer window technically closed over the weekend, he managed to sneak in one final deal—landing the Phenomenal One on Monday nights. Meanwhile, SmackDown is probably somewhere sulking, realizing they just lost one of their best and getting absolutely nothing in return.
For those keeping score, Styles’ last match before his injury was back in October on SmackDown against Carmelo Hayes, following his loss to Cody Rhodes in an I Quit match. But just as he was gearing up for a full comeback, a pesky Lisfranc injury (which, for non-doctors, means really painful foot problem) sidelined him again. Styles himself admitted it was “challenging,” but WWE was confident he’d be back in time to get thrown over the top rope at the Royal Rumble.
And that’s exactly what happened. Styles entered at #21, looking fresh, fired up, and ready to make a statement—only to have Logan Paul shove him off the ring apron and eliminate him. Not exactly the comeback story he envisioned, but hey, at least he didn’t return just to get immediately injured again.
Now, with AJ Styles back in action and officially part of Raw, the question is—who’s first on his list? Logan Paul? Cody Rhodes? Adam Pearce for making him fill out transfer paperwork? One thing’s for sure: Monday nights just got a whole lot more Phenomenal.