Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I te wahanga o te Paenga-whāwhā 11 o "SmackDown", i hinga a Styles i a Baron Corbin me Sami Zayn hei kaitono tuatahi mo te United States Championship. I Backlash i te 21 o Mei, ka ngaro a Styles i tana tukinga ki a Kevin Owens mo te United States Championship ma te tatau. I te
Moni i roto i te Peeke i te Pipiri 18, i whakataetae a Styles i te whakataetae arawhata Moni i te Peeke, engari kaore i wikitoria. I muri i te wa i riro ai a Styles hei kaitono tuatahi mo te toa o Owens, i whakaritea he whakataetae taitara mo Battleground. Heoi, e rua wiki i mua i te utu-i-tirohanga, i hinga a Styles i a Owens i te whakaaturanga whare WWE i Madison Square Garden i te Hurae 7 ki te hopu i te United States Championship mo te wa tuatahi i roto i tana umanga. Heoi, i te Battleground i te Hurae 23, i ngaro a Styles i te taitara ki a Owens, engari i whakahoki mai i nga ra e rua i muri mai i te "SmackDown" i roto i te tukinga whakawehi tuatoru e uru ana ki a Chris Jericho hoki mai ana, ka tiimata tana kingitanga tuarua me te toa. I te SummerSlam i te Akuhata 20, i hinga a Styles i a Owens ki te pupuri i te taitara me Shane McMahon hei kaiwhakawa manuhiri motuhake. Whai muri i tana whiunga anō i a Owens i ngā rā e rua i muri mai i runga i "SmackDown" hei whakamutu i te whawhai. I te marama o Hepetema, ka tiimata te riri a Styles me Tye Dillinger me Baron Corbin, ka arahi ki te tukinga whakawehi tuatoru i Hell in a Cell i te Oketopa 8, i ngaro ai a Styles i te taitara ki a Corbin nana nei i whakanoho a Dillinger, na reira ka mutu tana kingitanga i nga ra 75. E rua nga ra i muri mai i te "SmackDown", kaore i taea e Styles te whakahoki mai i te taitara mai i a Corbin.