After successfully defending his United States Championship several weeks ago against a compromised Tye Dillinger, who was the recipient of a brutal sneak attack from Baron Corbin moments before the match, AJ Styles opted to give Dillinger a fair fight this week.

An interrupting Corbin distracted Styles, who neutralized The Lone Wolf with a  head-ringing Phenomenal Forearm that sent The Lone Wolf plummeting from the ring apron to the floor, but the move nearly costly the titleholder, who narrowly kicked out at two after being rolled up by The Perfect 10. Also kicking out at the last second after feeling the devastating effects of the Tye-Breaker, Styles weathered the storm to lock Dillinger in the Calf Crusher, retaining the gold with the tapout victory. After the thriller, the two showed a sign of mutual respect by shaking hands.

The celebration was short-lived, though, as The Lone Wolf dragged Styles out of the ring and threw him over the barricade. After taking out Dillinger, Corbin concluded his rampage by hitting Styles with the End of Days on the outside and announcing that he would answer Styles’ United States Open Challenge next week on SmackDown LIVE. 

Your move, Styles.