As expected, AJ Styles will have an extended stay with WWE. 

Not that this wasn't easy to see coming, but speculation The Phenomenal One might leave for another promotion ran wild for a little while.

With All Elite Wrestling getting into gear and Styles as well-traveled as anyone, the fact he hadn't signed an extension with WWE yet was at least a decent conversation starter. 

The former WWE champion himself then shut it all down, smoothly burying the announcement in a tweet about a pup: 

No drama. No working it into a tired storyline. No letting the rumor sheets run with it. Styles, like the showstopper he is, took command of his narrative. Easy. 

And was there any doubt? WWE is the top of the food chain for most wrestlers. The Phenomenal One is no exception. Yes, major competition to the company is popping up and it isn't the end-all-be-all for everyone. Even a few years ago, Styles joining the promotion seemed like an impossibility. 

Yet here we are. And since arriving, Styles has been booked nothing short of exceptional. WWE doesn't get it right with everyone, but he turned up to great surprise at the 2016 Royal Rumble, took down John Cena, won the top SmackDown title multiple times, beat Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and is now on his way to an encounter most fans could only fantasy book for a decade thanks to his impending 'Mania bout with Randy Orton. 

Orton is actually a good place to really analyze Style's future. The Phenomenal One, after all, is 41. He's not showing many signs of slowing down, but he's likely going to want to.

It's safe to presume he will want an Orton-type situation soon enough where he's not on tour for the full year-round schedule, just popping in for major feuds and moments. Not as sparse as Brock Lesnar, but enough of a reduced workload to really make a difference in career longevity and getting back to real life. 

Even if it isn't a reduced workload on the new deal yet, there is plenty for Styles to do within a company as big as WWE—with or without a top title, too. Another feud with Samoa Joe wouldn't be a bad deal. Extending the fight with The Viper could work. 

Keep in mind Styles could always shift to Raw. He's the owner of the blue brand, clearly, and with it going to Fox Sports eventually, he might want to stick there and keep his spot. 

But the possibilities on Raw are hard to pass up, too. Another fight with Finn Balor, not to mention the past Bullet Club connections, would be superb. His fight with Lesnar was incredible. And an extended feud and marquee match with Seth Rollins would be one of the best things WWE could put on today. 

And with Rollins likely comes the universal title. And while we're at it, Styles working his way into grand-slam territory wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Even the tag titles, whether it's with a Club sort of angle or otherwise, isn't out of the question.

Keep in mind these things could also happen on SmackDown, but shifting just one or two guys to the blue brand is only going to keep the angles surrounding Styles fresh for so long. A whole show reset would make more sense. 

Possible angles abound with a move to Raw, too. Remember when he knocked out Vince McMahon for some odd reason in a start to a storyline that didn't really go anywhere? There is room for an angle like that on the red brand. His simply arriving and saying he's going to carry Raw like he did the blue brand writes itself and instantly makes him a foil for a top face such as Rollins. 

Wrapped up in these possibilities is the point WWE simply has more to offer Styles than anyone else, too. The deepest roster in the game on the biggest platform out there was a no-brainer of a thing to recommit to as a career winds down. 

Styles can make anything work. Some things haven't always hit the mark (remember the feud with Shinsuke Nakamura?), but James Ellsworth to Lesnar, he's been the most consistent guy in WWE for a long time now. Regardless of brand, it's clear with a new deal he will remain a top player near the heights of either brand. 

Moving forward, the real concern isn't whether Styles will leave WWE, but whether he decides to hang up the boots for good when the next deal gets close to running out.