Before joining WWE, AJ Styles was recognized as one of the best wrestlers in the world. As hard as it would've been to believe back then, Styles might have upped his game even more since joining WWE. Throughout his tenure, he has put on countless great matches and has left fans in awe of just how good he is.
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A good indication of how good someone's matches are is by Dave Meltzer's star ratings. Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is the most respected wrestling journalist in the world, and rates pro wrestling matches on a 5-star scale. So which matches were AJ Styles' best since joining WWE, according to Dave Meltzer? Let's find out.
11 AJ Styles Vs. Roman Reigns - Extreme Rules (2016) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
In 2016, AJ Styles and Roman Reigns battled each other for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in multiple matches which included some of both Styles' and Reigns' best work.
Their best match against each other, according to Meltzer, happened at Extreme Rules 2016 when they batted in an Extreme Rules match. It was a heated bout in which Styles and Reigns fought throughout the arena. Reigns got the win after hitting Styles with a vicious Spear.
10 AJ Styles Vs. John Cena - SummerSlam (2016) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
No WWE wrestler has brought the best out of AJ Styles more than John Cena. After their great match at Money In The Bank 2016 was spoiled due to interference from The Club, Cena and Styles upped their game in their rematch at SummerSlam 2016.
They spent the entirety of the match going back and forth. They hit their best moves and when that didn't work, they hit moves that they both rarely used. Styles pulled out the shockingly clean victory when he hit Cena with the Phenomenal Forearm.
9 Team SmackDown Vs. Team Raw - Survivor Series (2016) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
At Survivor Series 2016, AJ Styles was part of an all-star field, when Team SmackDown (Styles, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, and Shane McMahon) battled Team Raw (Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins) in the Men's Survivor Series match.
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This was a match filled with chaos from start to finish and had many great moments. Styles ended up being eliminated by Seth Rollins but Team SmackDown still managed to pull out the victory.
8 AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose - TLC (2016) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
AJ Styles was WWE's MVP in 2016, as this list shows, and he ended off the year with one of his best matches. At TLC 2016, he defended the WWE World Championship against Dean Ambrose in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
This match was one big car wreck in the best kind of way. Ambrose and Styles pulled out all the stops with a combination of great wrestling, weapons, and high-risk spots. Styles managed to retain the title after James Ellsworth pushed Ambrose off a ladder.
7 WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match - Elimination Chamber (2017) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
At Elimination Chamber 2017, AJ Styles stepped foot in the Elimination Chamber for the first time to challenge for the WWE Championship. The participants in this match were: Styles, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Dean Ambrose, Baron Corbin, and John Cena.
This was a fantastic match, where each competitor played a part in telling some great stories. Unsurprisingly, Styles was the performer of the match. He started it off and was the last competitor eliminated by the winner Bray Wyatt.
6 Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match - Money In The Bank (2017) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
Money In The Bank ladder matches are normally fantastic, and the 2017 men's match was definitely in the upper echelon of quality. In this match, Styles competed against Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Sami Zayn.
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This match had everything that makes ladder matches so great. Action that kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout, lots of great spots, and loads of drama. One of the most memorable instances of the match was when Styles squared off against Nakamura. But, it was Baron Corbin who pulled down the briefcase.
5 WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match - Elimination Chamber (2019) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
At Elimination Chamber 2019, AJ Styles once again stepped inside the Elimination Chamber to challenge for the WWE Championship. This time around the competitors were: Styles, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, and Daniel Bryan.
This match was all about the developing story between Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan, but every competitor played a part in making it great. Styles was the 4th man who entered the match and the 3rd eliminated. In the end, Bryan retained his title.
4 AJ Styles Vs. Seth Rollins - Money In The Bank (2019) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
For the first time in a major pro wrestling promotion, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins went 1 on 1 in a dream match for the Universal Championship at Money In The Bank 2019. This match obviously had a lot of hype and it lived up to all of it.
This was a great match, which featured wrestling at its highest level. Rollins and Styles went shot for shot with each other with neither man able to sustain an advantage for a long period. Rollins was able to retain the title via pinfall after he hit Styles with The Stomp.
3 AJ Styles Vs. John Cena - Royal Rumble (2017) - Rating: 4.75 Stars
The first WWE match that AJ Styles competed in that was rated more than 4.5 stars by Dave Meltzer was at Royal Rumble 2017 when he defended his WWE Championship against John Cena.
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As shown by Meltzer's 4.75-star rating, this match was an absolute classic. For over 24 minutes, Styles and Cena put on a clinic, keeping fans on the edge of their seats the entire time. Cena won the match after hitting the AA for the fourth time in the match and tied Ric Flair's record with his 16th World Championship.
2 AJ Styles Vs. Daniel Bryan - TLC (2018) - Rating: 4.75 Stars
At TLC 2018, Styles challenged Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. This came after Bryan won the title from Styles on the November 13th, 2018 episode of SmackDown, after hitting him with a low blow behind the referee's back.
This was the first time that Bryan and Styles competed in a 1 on 1 match on PPV in WWE and they certainly made it count. These two world-class wrestlers put on a tremendous match which resulted in Bryan retaining after rolling up Styles.
1 AJ Styles Vs. Daniel Bryan - SmackDown (June 12, 2020) - Rating: 4.75 Stars
For the most recent entry to this list, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan decided to put on a show again. This time they went to battle in the finals of a tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion on the June 12th, 2020 episode of SmackDown.
This match was about as perfect a pro wrestling match can be. It was physical, action-packed, and drama-filled. Styles was able to scratch out the victory when he hit Bryan with the Styles Clash followed by the Phenomenal Forearm.
NEXT: Every John Cena Singles Match Rated 4.5 Stars Or More (According To Dave Meltzer)
