3) “Is AJ Styles vs. Aleister Black a No Disqualification match to protect Black by having The O.C. triple team him, to protect Styles losing via Undertaker interference, or do you think there’s another strategy in play?”
MANGO: The O.C. gangs up on Black. The Undertaker makes the save. Styles doesn’t do much in the match, overall, and Black gets the win to offset his Raw loss.
STAPLE: Well, they had Styles pin Black on RAW, so I’m skeptical as to whether or not they’d have Black lose twice in a row. Believe it’s likely Undertaker makes another appearance.
MITCHELL: The No Disqualification stipulation could be for all of that. There is a definite chance The OC attack, and I originally felt like Ricochet could be the one to jump in there. He still could, but there’s now also a chance The Undertaker shows up to take out the OC when Aleister and Ricochet can’t do it alone.
HIRSCH: I definitely think that is the plan to keep both men looking good as they head towards Tampa. Plus, after Mania these two can go back to their rivalry. It has potential for SummerSlam if the commitment is there creatively. Man, I’d love to see a handicap tag match (Black/Taker), or even a six man with Black, Undertaker and Kane if the feud got to that point. What a hell of a rub if that was to happen. A girl can dream.
BRADLEY: I reject the notion that anybody needs to be protected. There’s no shame in losing to AJ Styles, one of the best of his era. There’s no shame in losing to Aleister Black, currently one of the best in the world. If the E lets them have the match they are capable of, either guy can lose and still look like a million bucks. Buddy Murphy turned a string of losses against Black into a tag team title.
SARPRAICONE: Either Styles wins again or Undertaker costs him the win. But what does Black gain from winning either?
ABSLER: I am not sure if the No DQ stipulation is to protect Black or AJ, or both, but it leaves lots of cool creative opportunities available. For starters, the O.C. can cost Black the match which would protect him from a clean loss. The Undertaker could interfere and cost AJ the match, protecting him from a clean loss as well. I am excited to just sit back and watch the story play out here. The match should be interesting.
COOK: Black already lost to Styles on Raw, so one might be tempted to think that Black could get his win back on Sunday. I don’t see that happening, nor do I see the Undertaker showing up until Monday at the earliest. Styles & his boys team up to get the win on Sunday night, then they have to deal with the Dead Man afterward.
