Omega, the Young Bucks, Rhodes, and “Hangman” Adam Page chose to reject WWE for a new opportunity entirely, banding together with Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham football club executive/son of Shahid Khan, Tony Khan, to found All Elite Wrestling. 

Love it or hate it, AEW stands as the foremost wrestling promotion outside of WWE. And The Elite have all gone on to be concrete fixtures in the company at one time or another; Rhodes inaugurated and held the TNT Championship three times before joining WWE in 2022, while the others remain with the company as multi-time World and World Tag Team Champions. The likes of Jericho took up the opportunity alongside them, having found a different level in his career after years with WWE. And if he wasn’t to go to WWE, it would only make sense for Styles to make his home in Jacksonville at some stage. 

If he did from the start, he may have been the man who stood opposite Jericho or Page at the first Double or Nothing, and perhaps even the first man to hold the AEW World Championship. He and Rhodes may have clashed sooner than they have done since, perhaps, as a TNT title feud much in the same vein as Styles’ years in the X-Division. Styles and Jon Moxley may have feuded for the AEW World Championship years after they did for the WWE Championship, and at very different stages in their careers, that feud might have even been better. 

There are untold dream matches one could list off and go through. That’s the essence of what could have been, especially when talking about one of the best wrestlers of all time. He may have dominated AEW, returned to TNA, collected belts, as well as or instead of Omega. But it’s been a good run nonetheless, so if this is truly the last time, thank you, AJ Styles.