WWE rumors 2016: A.J. Styles already proving to be a profitable addition

For those who were able to follow the 2016 edition of the Royal Rumble, one of the big names that came out that night was none other than A.J. Styles.

Styles is, of course, one of the new recruits of the WWE from the New Japan Pro Wrestling brand, and his debut was met with a thundering ovation. Considering this was his first match and at a battle royal, the "Phenomenal One" truly made an impact.

In fact, even his merchandise are selling fast; Styles-themed black T-shirts sold out quickly.  The WWE, apparently, miscalculated the demand for his merchandise as they overlooked his popularity.

With that said, WWE chairman Vince McMahon has obviously taken notice and word has it that Styles may be in line for a big push soon.

If so, whom would he be going up against?

The wise choice could be the one who eliminated him from the rumble, the brash-talking Canadian Kevin Owens.

Aside from eliminating the 38-year-old wrestler, he did mock him by saying "Welcome to the WWE."

Styles was back at WWE Raw but faced Chris Jericho instead. Right now fans have to wait and see if Owens is indeed the guy to feud with Styles. If so, that means that the Dean Ambrose story angle may have seen its end at the WWE Royal Rumble.

Ambrose's status has been elevated a bit as the Lunatic Fringe finds himself involved in a no. 1 contender's match at WWE Fastlane. That Triple Threat match will feature him, his buddy Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar where the winner will face Triple H at Wrestlemania 32 this April.

While the original rumor calls for a Triple H vs. Roman Reigns showdown, Ambrose did get quite an ovation at the rumble. Unless the WWE is able to condition the minds of its fans to favor Reigns yet again, there could be changes made soon.