I can respect the distinction you make. On the other hand, he is in his own way running for something at the same time he is running away from something else he'd just done - in the same way the Cornhuskers seemed to be keen on having him do damage control.
PR was invented by the same guy(s) who developed the model for both advertising and propaganda. In this century alone, there have been two American presidents with significant uptick in marketing acumen: one of their campaigns actually won an advertising award usually reserved for product; the other cut his teeth in reality TV and, wait for it, wrestling (of the kayfabe variety). Both inspired a groundswell of popstar-like support as well as a pretty strong (and often enough irrational) resentment, both of which resemble people going bat-***t crazy seen from afar. For my part I will only say that — although they seem like polar opposites seen through the aforementioned Bernaise-lens — both of these men have something in common (in regard to both word and deed) for which I have zero respect.
I'm not saying AJ is prime for this stage and do not want to project my own sense of what is plausible onto someone else. What I will say is that I see two types of fan whose eyes are brought to folkstyle by way of the antics: those who had watched and those who hadn't. The former were watching for the wrong reasons, I think, and the latter, if they continue to watch, will get bored with anything other than kayfabe-like promotional garbage.