TNA star AJ Styles was recently interviewed by the Miami Herald and spoke about being mentored by “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
“As Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were coming in was around the time they were thinking of putting me with Ric Flair,” Styles said. “I was on board. To work with the Nature Boy Ric Flair, it would be stupid not to take that chance.
Styles has improved his game in many ways since working with Flair, most notably his work on the mic. “My confidence in cutting promos is far better than it used to be,” he said. . “Getting the opportunity to study from Ric Flair and get his input means the world to me. I’ve met him before, and he was always a nice guy. He was unbelievably nice. He is an icon. I thought how he can be so nice and humble. It’s who he is. He is a good guy, in spite of the rumors you may have heard.”
While working with Flair has been a dream come true for him, it has led many to criticize him, calling him a “Ric Flair wannabe.” Styles responds to those claims, saying, “I would say when you are being mentored by someone or around friends who talk a certain way or act a certain way, you tend to act like those friends and talk like those friends. It’s kind of the same thing. I’m not Ric Flair. Ric Flair and I, our move set is not the same. I may throw in a figure four or a chop. Other than that, I would not say I’m being like Ric Flair. If they are complaining about that, I would say how can you complain about someone trying to be like Ric Flair? As long as they’re entertained, then I’m going to keep doing it. If they are not, I’ll find out sooner or later.'”
As for the new “Fortune” stable led by Ric Flair, Styles says, “I think they are going with it. I think it would be a great tag team and a great storyline.”
