Royal Rumble 2017 Matches: John Cena Will Face AJ Styles For WWE Championship

John Cena hasn’t wrestled a whole lot in 2016 compared to previous years, but he’ll kick off next year with a bang. The 15-time world champion will get a WWE Championship match with AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble on Jan. 29.

Cena returned to WWE Tuesday night, making his first appearance with the company in two and a half months. Prior to the WWE Title match between Styles, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler, Cena announced that he would face the winner at the first pay-per-view of 2017.

Styles closed out “SmackDown Live” by pinning Ziggler and retaining the belt. He first won the championship by defeating Dean Ambrose at WWE Backlash on Sept. 11. Since then, he’s defeated Ambrose in multiple championship matches, including a triple threat match that involved Cena at No Mercy on Oct. 9.

Cena and Styles met at multiple PPVs in 2016, and their match at SummerSlam was arguably the year’s best. Styles defeated Cena at SummerSlam and Money in the Bank, while Cena got a win over Styles in a tag team match at WWE Battleground.

While Styles has largely gotten the better of Cena during their feud, it might be Cena’s time to take WWE’s top title. There’s been speculation for months that Cena will face The Undertaker in a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 33 on April 2.

There are unconfirmed rumors circulating the internet that Cena and Styles are already set to have a rematch at Elimination Chamber in February. A win against Styles would make Cena a 16-time world champion, tying Ric Flair’s all-time record.

The Royal Rumble will also feature a WWE Universal Championship match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg will headline the 30-man Royal Rumble battle royal.