SEScoops

Tag: AJ Styles

  • AJ Styles on WWE Championship Run and Being 2K19 Cover Star

    AJ Styles on WWE Championship Run and Being 2K19 Cover Star

    WWE Champion AJ Styles recently appeared as part of a WWE 2K19 event at the Performance Center. Styles made comments on his WWE Championship run and being the cover star for the game when speaking to Cultaholic’s Adam Pacitti.

    One aspect of the interview revolved around Styles’ height and how he looks very different to World Champions of days gone by. Styles remarked that “We’re moving in a new direction. Athletes are smaller these days in everything. In American Football, Rugby…guys are not as big as they used to be but they’re faster, quicker. They’re better athletes and I think that’s literally in every sport we’re seeing nowadays. That’s not a bad thing, that’s a good thing for me!”

    Styles’ also commented on whether his height affected him being ‘pushed’ in the past; “I’m sure people have looked at me and gone ‘he’s just way too small.’ AJ went on to say that “I don’t disagree. I’m not the biggest guy. So I make everything that I do count. Every move, every strike is going to count.”

    AJ also made mention of his huge love for gaming and what being on the 2K19 cover meant to him. “I wanna enjoy being on the cover of 2K19, that’s a huge deal for me, being a gamer.” Styles’ also referred to how he never envisioned his career would take that trajectory; “Who would’ve thought that AJ Styles would not only be the longest reigning Smackdown Champion but he’s also on the cover of the video game. Years ago I couldn’t of imagined this, I wouldn’t of picked me on the cover.”

    Here’s the full interview:

     

  • Bobby Lashley Talks Turning Heel To Feud With WWE Champion

    Bobby Lashley Talks Turning Heel To Feud With WWE Champion

    Bobby Lashley returned ‘home’ to WWE in 2018 and his career appears to have come full circle. Lashley was originally a member of the roster from 2004-2008 and held the ECW Championship in that time. Since then the Superstar has appeared for TNA/IMPACT and delved into the world of MMA.

    Bobby Lashley recently appeared on The Big J Show and talked his decision to move away from WWE. Lashley also discussed the reasons why he returned to the company. “I wanted to work with some of the people that I probably would have never had the opportunity to work with before”.

    When discussing his MMA career, Lashley said, “The MMA part was to show people that I can do it, a lot of people look at me as such a nice guy, they don’t understand how dangerous I can actually be.” He has a pretty impressive MMA record of 15 wins and 2 losses.

    Lashley also expressed his desire to feud with WWE Champion AJ Styles. The two were both working for Impact Wrestling at the same time a few years ago, but never crossed paths there.  “He was going out while I was coming in and he was involved with these other things.”

    He continued, “The thing with AJ is a crazed good guy needs a crazed bad guy. When I flip that switch and you see that bad side of me like I had in TNA, I believe I’m a perfect person to AJ’s good.”

    Would you like to see an AJ vs Lashley feud?

    H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes

  • AJ Styles Offers His Thoughts On All In

    AJ Styles Offers His Thoughts On All In

    All In has come and gone, and the professional wrestling world is still abuzz following the groundbreaking show. Cody and The Young Bucks’ self-funded event sold out the Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois earlier this month. WWE Champion AJ Styles has finally offered his thoughts on the show.

    “The Phenomenal One” spoke to The Daily Star to promote the WWE 2K19 video game, which he serves as the cover athlete for. Styles admitted he didn’t see the show but watched some highlights. He said it’s good business for everybody and is happy for Cody and The Bucks’ success:

    “I did not watch All In. I watched the highlights. And good for them, man, they did great. Those guys are my friends and I am happy for them. I am happy with their success, I hope they continue to do it.

    “This is good for business for everybody. When there is someone to compete against it is good for everyone and steps everybody’s game up.”

    While Cody and The Young Bucks enjoy the success of All In, Styles is enjoying some success of his own. He has been champion in WWE for over 300 days after defeating Jinder Mahal for the strap back in November. Styles currently feuds with Samoa Joe over the WWE Title over on SmackDown Live.

    What do you make of Styles’ comments regarding All In?

  • AJ Styles Discusses Hell In A Cell Controversy (Video), The Marine 6 Trailer

    AJ Styles Discusses Hell In A Cell Controversy (Video), The Marine 6 Trailer

    AJ Styles Discusses Hell In A Cell Controversy (Video)

    WWE’s YouTube channel has released this video of Kayla Braxton talking to WWE Champion AJ Styles after his controversial win over Samoa Joe at Sunday’s (September 16, 2018) Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center on the WWE Network.

    The finish saw Styles tap out to the Coquina Clutch right before the referee counted Styles’ three count on Joe. Later in the show, WWE SmackDown General Manager Paige revealed that the Joe vs. Styles match at WWE Super Show-Down must have a winner, which indicates that there will be stipulation announced soon.

    WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event takes place on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia and will air on the WWE Network.

    The Marine 6 Trailer

    The official trailer for WWE Studios’ “The Marine 6: Close Quarters has been released. The film, which will be released on Digital & Blu-ray Tuesday, November 13, features WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, The Miz, and new SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. You can see it here:

    In case you missed the show, you can read our full play-by-play recap of the latest pay-per-view event presented by the WWE on their streaming service.

  • AJ Styles Nearly Changed His Name After Signing With WWE

    AJ Styles Nearly Changed His Name After Signing With WWE

    Current WWE Champion AJ Styles spoke to ESPN last month to promote his match with Samoa Joe. Styles and Joe battled it out for the WWE’s top prize in a bout that ultimately ended in a disqualification.

    During the conversation, Styles talked about signing with WWE back in 2016. That process included a meeting with WWE COO Triple H. “The Game” wasn’t sure that they would be able to retain his “AJ Styles” ring name.

    Styles said he would be okay with that, but the big “AJ” tattoo on his side might be a problem:

    “When Triple H and I were talking, he said, ‘I don’t know if we’ll be able to keep your name.’ I said, ‘That’s fine, I’ll be any name you want me to be called, except I do have this huge AJ tattoo on my side so that might be a problem,’” Styles said.

    “I think it worked out for the best because we weren’t taken and being changed into something else. We were the same characters that they saw from different companies and that they were familiar with and people were already invested in. I think that was a good move by WWE.”

    How do you think a name change would’ve impacted Styles’ WWE career?

  • AJ Styles Discusses His WWE Success, Favorite Matches

    AJ Styles Discusses His WWE Success, Favorite Matches

    AJ Styles recently opened up about his WWE success as well as his favorite matches while competing in the company.

    The WWE Champion recently spoke with Amarillo.com to talk about various topics. When asked about his WWE success, he noted that he shouldn’t be the only one surprised about it as if you told him a few years ago that he would be WWE Champion two times, a United States Champion and held the belt for at least half of his career then he would’ve thought it was ridiculous.

    “But, hard work has paid off. In the long run, if I was to lose this title tomorrow, I’ve had a great run and I’m very happy.”

    His favorite WWE Matches

    He stated that it’s tough to say which is his favorite match as he has had so many memorable moments so far as he pointed out his classic match with John Cena at the Royal Rumble a few years ago.

    “There is also Roman Reigns. Then when I won the championship from Dean Ambrose. There are so many matches that are hard to pick.”

    Styles is slated to make his next title defense against Samoa Joe at Hell in a Cell, which takes place on Sunday, September 16th from San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center. The show will stream live on the WWE Network and is available for purchase on select pay-per-view providers.

  • AJ Styles Reaches Milestone As WWE Champion

    AJ Styles Reaches Milestone As WWE Champion

    AJ Styles has closed in on a significant milestone as WWE Champion. The Phenomenal One has been champion for 300 days straight. Only eight other superstars have held the WWE Championship for 300 consecutive days: Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Pedro Morales, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, John Cena, and CM Punk.

    The next milestone for Styles would be CM Punk’s 463 days as WWE Champion. If you recall, Styles began this title reign on the November 7, 2017 episode of SmackDown Live on the USA Network when he beat Jinder Mahal in Manchester, England. As of this writing, Styles has held the title for 302 days.

    Of course, the man who was WWE Champion more days than anyone else in history is the late Bruno Sammartino, who held the title for a staggering 4,040 days (11+ years) during his illustrious career.

    Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Styles will extend his streak to 31 consecutive WWE pay-per-view events this month. Styles is slated to make his next title defense against Samoa Joe at Hell in a Cell, which takes place on Sunday, September 16th from San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center. The show will stream live on the WWE Network and is available for purchase on select pay-per-view providers.

    WWE announced earlier this week that AJ Styles will team with SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte on Mixed Match Challenge Season 2.

    What are your thoughts on Styles’ reign as WWE Champion?

  • Karl Anderson Explains Why The Club Isn’t Helping AJ Styles Against Samoa Joe

    Karl Anderson Explains Why The Club Isn’t Helping AJ Styles Against Samoa Joe

    Last night on Smackdown, Samoa Joe was fooled into thinking AJ Styles was at home protecting his wife Wendy. Joe had previously said he was going to visit the Styles family home this week. He then proceeded to cut a promo on Smackdown saying he wouldn’t do that as he’s not a monster.

    What Joe had done, according to him, was cause Styles to actually be home with his family on a Tuesday night. Only Styles wasn’t at home. Styles was in Detroit and came out to confront Joe. This then begs the question what if Joe had gone to Styles’ home?

    A fan on Twitter pointed out to Karl Anderson that perhaps Styles could use some help from his former Club partners on this one. Anderson explained to the fan why he and Gallows aren’t coming out to help Styles in his feud with Joe.

    Is The Club Dead?

    Earlier this summer, Anderson also indicated to a fan that the Club is finished in WWE.

    Most recently, Anderson and Gallows lost a triple threat tag-team match two Smackdowns ago. The Bar won the match and will move on to face Rusev Day for a chance to take on New Day for the Smackdown Tag-Team Championships.

  • AJ Styles Has Impressive Ongoing WWE PPV Streak

    AJ Styles Has Impressive Ongoing WWE PPV Streak

    WWE Champion AJ Styles is in the midst of an impressive streak that speaks volumes about the company’s faith in him as a top performer. According to Cageside Seats, AJ Styles has wrestled on 30-consecutive WWE pay-per-view events. 

    Not only is Styles considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, but this streak shows just how consistent and reliable he has been for WWE. He is closing in on 300 days as WWE Champion, one of the longer title reigns of the modern era. 

    Rounding out the Top 5 list of WWE Superstar with the longest streak of consecutive pay-per-view matches:

    • Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins (15)
    • US Champion Shinsuke Nakamura (14)
    • Braun Strowman (12)
    • Roman Reigns/Kevin Owens (tied at 8 events)

    Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Styles will extend his streak to 31 consecutive WWE pay-per-view events next month. He defends the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe at Hell in a Cell. That show takes place on Sunday, Sunday, September 16, 2018.

  • WWE Title Match Announced For Super Show-Down

    WWE Title Match Announced For Super Show-Down

    WWE has announced that the WWE Title would be on the line at the Super Show-Down event. WWE Champion AJ Styles will defend the strap against Samoa Joe.

    This marks the third time that these two superstars will do battle inside of a WWE ring as their first match was back at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event that saw Joe win by DQ once Styles hit him several times with a steel chair after taunting his wife. Next up is Styles vs. Joe at the upcoming Hell In A Cell pay-per-view event that takes place on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center.

    The WWE Super Show-Down pay-per-view event takes place on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia and will air on the WWE Network. 

    The Card

    Triple H vs. The Undertaker

    #1 Contender’s Match: Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

    WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

    John Cena and Bobby Lashley vs. Elias and Kevin Owens

    The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) vs. Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre – Six-Man Tag Team Match

    Ronda Rousey & The Bella Twins vs. The Riott Squad – Six-Woman Tag Team Match

    Discussion: What are your thoughts on the matches thus far announced by the WWE? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Two Big Matches Advertised For WWE Live Event At MSG

    Two Big Matches Advertised For WWE Live Event At MSG

    The WWE is slated to make a return to world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, in New York City on Wednesday, December 26th, 2018 for a live event. This event will feature the superstars from the blue brand, SmackDown Live.

    The arena has released two matches that are advertised to take place. Those matches are AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz.

    Charlotte Flair, Carmella, The New Day, Shinsuke Nakamura, Becky Lynch, Asuka, Naomi, Jeff Hardy, and The Bar are advertised to appear. The WWE will be announcing more matches for this live event in the coming months. For decades, WWE considered MSG their home arena and only the company held events at this arena. However, that all changed once ROH and NJPW teamed up to hold an event there during WrestleMania 34 weekend. 

    WWE has already announced that Styles would defend the WWE Title against Joe and Bryan would team with his wife, Brie Bella, to take on Maryse and The Miz in a mixed tag team match at the upcoming Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event.

    That show goes down on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets.

  • AJ Styles Has Message For Samoa Joe, Former Intercontinental Champion Backstage At SmackDown

    AJ Styles Has Message For Samoa Joe, Former Intercontinental Champion Backstage At SmackDown

    AJ Styles Has Message For Samoa Joe

    WWE Champion AJ Styles continues to hype his next title defense against Samoa Joe at the upcoming WWE Hell In a Cell pay-per-view that takes place on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center and will air on the WWE Network.

    Styles is slated to address Joe on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live and prior to the show, the WWE Champion took to his official Twitter account to write the following about the feud and send a message. He wrote, “It’s not enough to attack from behind or to play games with a man’s family. A match at #HIAC isn’t about sneaking around or phone calls…it’s about proving over and again why I. Am. Phenomenal. #AndStill.”

    Former Champion Backstage At SmackDown

    Several notable names are backstage at this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Toronto, Canada at the Scotiabank Arena that will air on the USA Network including former WWE Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella. PWinsider.com also notes that WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, Maryse, and Brie Bella are among those backstage.

    As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if Stratus will appear on the show to hype her match against former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss at the Evolution pay-per-view event on Sunday, October 28, 2018 in Long Island, New York at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum but is most likely just visiting.

    As we noted earlier on the site, Maryse is expected to be a regular character going forward to hype her mixed tag team match alongside The Miz against Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella WWE Hell In a Cell.

  • Paige Announces Several Big Matches And Segments For SmackDown

    Paige Announces Several Big Matches And Segments For SmackDown

    General Manager Paige has announced a number of interesting matches and segments for the special ‘SummerSlam follow up’ episode of SmackDown Live.

    The first segment which has been announced for the show will see the WWE Champion AJ Styles apologizing for his actions during his SummerSlam match with Samoa Joe.

    The second segment will see the Inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch explaining why she attacked Charlotte Flair after their triple threat match at the PPV.

    When it comes to matches, Jeff Hardy has been announced to face the former World Champion Randy Orton in the opening bout of the night.

    https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1031732996880191491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

    However, the most interesting announcement coming from the General Manager is the announcement of a SummerSlam rematch for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

    The Championship match will see the New Day challenging the title holders Bludgeon Brothers and it’s going to be a No Disqualification bout.

    What’s worth mentioning here is that Erick Rowan of the Bludgeon Brothers reportedly suffered an injury during his SummerSlam match and he didn’t appear on the SmackDown Live event the night after.

    With the announced title bout, a lot of people are speculating that WWE could be planning a title change to give the former Wyatt Family member some time off.

    Though whether these speculations turn out to be true will only be revealed this Tuesday night on SmackDown Live and we’ll have to tune in to the show to find out.

  • AJ Styles Apologizes To His Family After SummerSlam

    AJ Styles Apologizes To His Family After SummerSlam

    Samoa Joe defeated WWE Champion AJ Styles last night via disqualification.

    Joe has been taunting Styles for abandoning his family in order to be WWE Champion. This reached a boiling point last night when Styles’ family were watching ringside. Joe grabbed the mic mid-match and proclaimed to Styles’ daughter that if “Daddy” wasn’t coming home that he would be her new daddy.

    This set Styles into a rage and he would later be disqualified for using a steel chair on Joe. Styles then left the arena along with his wife and daughter.

    WWE cameras caught up to Styles as he was leaving and captured his apology to his family on video.

    AJ Styles’ WWE Championship Reign

    Last week, AJ Styles made history when he became the longest-running champion in SmackDown history. Styles’ WWE Championship reign began on November 7th, 2017 when he defeated Jinder Mahal in Manchester, England. Since then, he has defended the title 9 times on WWE programming:

    1. Styles defeated Jinder Mahal (Clash of Champions 2017)
    2. AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn – 2-on-1 Handicap match (Royal Rumble 2018)
    3. Styles defeated Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn – 6-Pack Challenge (Fastlane 2018)
    4. AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (WrestleMania 34)
    5. Double Count Out against Shinsuke Nakamura (Greatest Royal Rumble)
    6. No Contest against Shinsuke Nakamura (Backlash 2018)
    7. defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – Last Man Standing (Money in the Bank 2018)
    8. defeated Rusev (Extreme Rules 2018)
    9. lost to Samoa Joe via DQ (Summerslam 2018)
  • Possible Release Date For AJ Styles’ WWE 365 Episode, WWE Releases NXT UK Promo

    Possible Release Date For AJ Styles’ WWE 365 Episode, WWE Releases NXT UK Promo

    Possible Release Date For AJ Styles’ WWE 365 Episode

    The WWE Network will be airing a new episode of WWE 365 that will focus on WWE Champion AJ Styles, who is slated to defend his title against Samoa Joe at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place tonight (August 19, 2018) in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center.

    According to WWE Network News, the WWE Champion revealed that his documentary will premiere in November, which would mean that it would air following the Survivor Series event on November 18th, 2018. The debut episode of the series looked at a year in the career of Kevin Owens.

    WWE Releases NXT UK Promo

    The journey of bringing the WWE NXT UK brand to the WWE Network has begun as the company held TV tapings last month at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge, England. Over the weekend, the company released a promo for the series that will be airing sometime this year on WWE’s streaming service, which you can see here:

    Our staff has released their predictions for the SummerSlam show, which you can read here.

    What are your thoughts on this show that will focus on Styles? Do you plan on watching it? Sound off in the comment section. 

  • JBL Congratulates AJ Styles For Breaking His Record

    JBL Congratulates AJ Styles For Breaking His Record

    AJ Styles has broken a record during his current reign as WWE Champion.

    Back on a November episode of SmackDown Live, “The Phenomenal One” defeated Jinder Mahal to capture the title. He has reigned as “The Champ That Runs The Camp” on Tuesday nights ever since.

    Styles has successfully defended his title in various matches against the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev. He’s currently preparing for yet another title defense, this time against Samoa Joe at SummerSlam this weekend on pay-per-view (PPV).

    It looks like he’ll head into “The Biggest Part Of The Summer” with a record under his belt. Styles has now reigned as WWE Champion for over 281 days. With that stat, he’s now the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.

    He surpasses future WWE Hall Of Famer JBL in the record books. JBL took to Twitter to react to the news. He praised “The Phenomenal One” for breaking his record and called Styles a world class individual and athlete:

    “My record has been broken and I Could not be more proud of ?@AJStylesOrg? -a world class individual and athlete, looking forward to watching this incredible performer Sunday at @WWE Summerslam.”

    Discussion: What are your thoughts on Styles beating JBL’s SmackDown WWE Title reign record? Let us know in the comments below!

  • JBL Comments On AJ Styles Surpassing His Record

    JBL Comments On AJ Styles Surpassing His Record

    AJ Styles is now the longest reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown history. He passed JBL’s record recently to earn the honors. JBL himself commented on Styles’ achievement.

    John Bradshaw Layfield won the WWE Championship on June 27th, 2004 from Eddie Guerrero. He would hold the title until WrestleMania 21 when he lost the title to John Cena. At that point, the title was drafted from Smackdown to Raw.

    In 2016, the second brand extension era began and the WWE Championship once again became the property of Smackdown. AJ Styles won the title from Jinder Mahal on November 7th, 2017 in Manchester and has held for 281 straight days since.

    AJ Styles WWE Champion – Longest Reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown History

    Styles currently ranks #13 all-time in combined days spent with the WWE Championship. In a little over 40 days, Styles will pass CM Punk for the 12th spot on that list.

    Combined Days Spent as WWE Champion:

    1. Bruno Sammartino – 4,040 days
    2. Hulk Hogan – 2,185 days
    3. Bob Backlund – 2,138 days
    4. John Cena – 1, 257 days
    5. Pedro Morales – 1027 days
    6. Randy Orton – 658 days
    7. Bret Hart – 654 days
    8. Triple H – 609 days
    9. Brock Lesnar – 579 days
    10. Stone Cold Steve Austin – 529
    11. “Macho Man” Randy Savage – 520 days
    12. CM Punk – 562
    13. AJ Styles – 421

    Styles will take on Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship Sunday at SummerSlam. Joe has yet to win a title belt on the main roster.

  • AJ Styles Tries To Attack Samoa Joe After SmackDown, The Club Reunites

    AJ Styles Tries To Attack Samoa Joe After SmackDown, The Club Reunites

    AJ Styles Tries To Attack Samoa Joe After SmackDown

    The final segment of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw Samoa Joe and AJ Styles building the final hype for their upcoming Championship match at SummerSlam.

    During the segment, Joe tried to bring Styles’ family into their feud again and the former TNA Star read a letter which was allegedly from the WWE Champion’s wife.

    After the show, WWE posted the following backstage video where AJ tries to attack the Samoan Submission Machine and several SmackDown Stars try to stop him from doing so:

    The Club Reunites After SmackDown

    Following the mentioned backstage segment and the 205 Live episode, Styles came out again and reunited with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson for a 6 man tag team dark match.

    The trio formerly known as the Club, faced the team of Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, and United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, in a match that was reportedly shorter than the entrance of the involving superstars.

    The match wrapped up in less than 4 minutes and the finish saw Shinsuke Nakamura hitting Gallows with a Kinshasa only to be hit with a Styles Clash. The WWE Champion then went on to pin the former NXT Star and won the match for his team.

  • AJ Styles Discusses Being Positioned As Top WWE Star, Turning Point With Vince McMahon

    AJ Styles Discusses Being Positioned As Top WWE Star, Turning Point With Vince McMahon

    AJ Styles has given some insight into his second reign as WWE Champion and his journey to being one of the top stars for the company.

    The WWE Champion spoke with Joshua Caudill for Dirtfork to promote the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that takes place this Sunday (August 19, 2018) in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center on the WWE Network where is set to defend the title against Samoa Joe.

    Second WWE Title Reign

    Styles was asked about his second title run and being the guy WWE depends on where he noted that the first title reign is always the most exciting but the second time around is the most rewarding as he won the title from Jinder Mahal in England, which he noted is something that WWE never had before so it was cool and the fact that he’s the longest reigning WWE SmackDown Champion in history is also very cool.

    “I enjoy being the guy that people depend on. That’s rewarding to me. To be able to hold on to the championship this long means I’m doing something right. I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. My job is to make sure that people are entertained and at SummerSlam, it will be no different. I can promise you that.”

    Turning Point

    Styles also touched upon when he thought was the moment once WWE Chairman Vince McMahon saw something in him. The SmackDown star noted that he was looked at as a mid-card at best in the WWE and that the plan was to be okay with that because WWE is a great job. However, he didn’t think that’s where he was going to be but there was that time when he made his debut, McMahon thought the fan reactions at the Royal Rumble was a fluke as he didn’t think much of him.

    “I don’t even think I was supposed to be on Raw that next Monday. But the turning point where Vince really saw something in me was when I had a regular match, a babyface match, went out and did my thing. I came back to gorilla and Vince says, ‘Come here for a second. I’ve got other guys who can do exactly what you just did out there. You didn’t do anything special. I need a pit bull. I need a guy who just attacks. I need a guy who gets after it.’”

    Styles continued to say that he told him that he knew a guy which was him and that he had the opportunity to be on Miz TV and handled it well where he thinks the way that turned out was the turning point for McMahon. He brought up how he would then beat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 32 and become the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns where they had some fantastic matches.

    “That was the turning point. That’s when things changed and that’s how I became the A.J. Styles that you know now.”

    Check out the complete interview at Dirtfork.com. Also, remember to join us here at SEScoops.com this Sunday evening for live results coverage of this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

    What are your thoughts on Style’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Smackdown & 205 Live Preview: AJ Styles Addresses Samoa Joe

    Smackdown & 205 Live Preview: AJ Styles Addresses Samoa Joe

    Tonight’s episodes of Smackdown and 205 Live will emanate from Orlando, Fl. WWE’s second-home away from Connecticut is also where many Superstars choose to live. Tonight, recent NXT graduates will clash in their adopted second hometown.

    2 matches are confirmed for Smackdown tonight and one more is scheduled for 205 Live.

    Smackdown 8/7

    AJ Styles Addresses Samoa Joe

    Tonight, the WWE Champion will address his SummerSlam challenger. Two weeks ago, Joe attacked Styles from behind before signing the SummerSlam contract. Last week, Joe accused Styles of neglecting his family in order to obtain success in WWE.

    Styles will address Joe’s comments tonight.

    Smackdown Tag-Team Tournament Finals
    The New Day vs. the Bar

    Smackdown General Manager Paige created a 4-team tournament to determine who challenges the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam. After defeating the Usos last week, the Bar will take on New Day tonight. New Day defeated Sanity two weeks ago to make it to the finals of the #1 contender’s tournament.

    The Bludgeon Brothers will likely be watching this match closely.

    Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch vs The Iiconics (Billie Kay & Peyton Royce)

    Are we getting women’s tag-team championships? There sure is a lot of pairing up going on in the women’s divisions for that not to be the case. Granted, the same thing happened on 205 Live and then sort of fizzled out.

    Lynch and Flair will be on the same side tonight but will be 2/3 of a triple threat match at SummerSlam. it will be interesting to see how well they work together in this match tonight.

    4 NXT graduates return to Orlando for this tag match tonight.

    The Miz’s SummerSlam Announcement

    Daniel Bryan challenged the Miz to a match at SummerSlam. Miz declined the challenge, however. He said he is simply too much of a star to wrestle Daniel Bryan at the biggest event of the summer.

    Miz has said he’ll have a better announcement regarding his involvement at SummerSlam tonight.

    205 Live 8/7 Preview

    Mustafa Ali vs Hideo Itami

    The heart of 205 Live, Mustafa Ali, returns tonight to take on Hideo Itami. Two perennial contenders for the title meet one-on-one tonight. The winner likely finds themselves in the mix of things for the first Cruiserweight title shot following SummerSlam.

    Cedric Alexander Reacts To Drew Gulak’s Attack

    Cedric Alexander knows he’s in for a challenge at SummerSlam when he defends against Drew Gulak. The man who has been campaigning for a better 205 Live attacked him last week ahead of their SummerSlam tilt.

  • Raw Stars Work SmackDown Dark Match, AJ Styles Vs John Cena Full SummerSlam 2016 Match

    Raw Stars Work SmackDown Dark Match, AJ Styles Vs John Cena Full SummerSlam 2016 Match

    AJ Styles Vs John Cena Full SummerSlam 2016 Match

    WWE has released the full match between John Cena and AJ Styles from SummerSlam 2016 on their YouTube account and the bout can be seen in the video below:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPOtDStsLUU

    This was the second match of their rivalry and the first big match for Styles after splitting up with the Club and being drafted to SmackDown Live during the 2016 drafts.

    Styles scored a clean victory over the Leader of Cenation. This win eventually earned him a WWE Championship match against Dean Ambrose and is believed to be the start of AJ’s run as the face of SmackDown Live.

    Raw Stars Work SmackDown Dark Match

    We noted before how the dark match after SmackDown Live this week saw WWE Champion AJ Styles battling The United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a Champion vs. Champion match.

    However, this wasn’t the only dark match of the night and for the surprise of fans, two Raw Stars Titus O’Neil and Mike Kanellis worked a bout before the show.

    The match saw O’Neil defeating Kanellis who has been off TV for a while. No word yet on why the company used these Raw stars on SmackDown Live but a speculation is that they used hometown star Titus to boost ticket sales for the show.

  • AJ Styles On Brock Lesnar Being Part-Time WWE Champion

    AJ Styles On Brock Lesnar Being Part-Time WWE Champion

    WWE Champion AJ Styles has given his take on WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.

    ‘The face that runs the place’ on SmackDown Live recently spoke to Noelle Foley at San Diego Comic Con. Styles addressed Brock Lesnar’s WWE schedule, which allows him to make millions of dollars without having to be on the road full time. 

    “Well, you know what? I don’t care what anybody says,” Styles said. “Brock Lesnar is what we call ‘a draw.’ People come see Brock Lesnar and the fact he’s not wrestled that’s on WWE. That’s on Kurt Angle and anybody else that has anything to do with it.”

    Styles noted that he does what he does and that he is a fighting champion because he is going to defend his title, give it the respect that it deserves and can’t say much about Brock Lesnar.

    Lesnar returns to WWE television this coming Monday when Raw returns to Miami, FL. The Universal Champion will then face Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. Brock Lesnar is rumored to be leaving WWE after SummerSlam.

    What are your thoughts on Styles comments? Sound off in the comment section. 

  • Full Content Listing For WWE’s New DVD Set On AJ Styles

    Full Content Listing For WWE’s New DVD Set On AJ Styles

    WWE is scheduled to release a DVD on the career of WWE Champion AJ Styles on November 6th to fans in the United States.

    The three-disc DVD that is titled, “AJ Styles – Most Phenomenal Matches,” features 20 full-length matches spanning his entire career with the WWE from January of 2016 – July of 2018 that includes matches with Chris Jericho and Roman Reigns as well as all of his WrestleMania matches including against Shane McMahon and Shinsuke Nakamura and more.

    Courtesy of Wrestling DVD Network, here is the content listing for this DVD:

    DISC ONE

    This Is Phenomenal

    Traveling the World

    AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho – RAW • January 25, 2016

    WWE Tag Team Championship Match: AJ Styles & Chris Jericho vs. New Day – RAW • March 7, 2016

    First WrestleMania

    AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania 32 • April 3, 2016

    Fatal 4-Way Match to Determine the #1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho vs. Cesaro – RAW • April 4, 2016

    The Booing Stopped

    WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
    Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles – Payback • May 1, 2016

    Extreme Rules Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles – Extreme Rules • May 22, 2016

    The Face That Runs The Place

    AJ Styles vs. John Cena – SummerSlam • August 21, 2016

    DISC TWO

    WWE Champion

    WWE World Championship Match: Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles – Backlash • September 11, 2016

    TLC Match for the WWE Championship: AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose – TLC • December 4, 2016

    The Elephant in the Room

    WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. John Cena – Royal Rumble • January 29, 2017

    Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt – SmackDown Live • February 14, 2017

    AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 • April 2, 2017

    Earning Respect

    Triple Threat Match to Determine the #1 Contender for the United States Championship: AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin – SmackDown Live • April 11, 2017

    DISC THREE

    A Special Moment

    AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable – SmackDown Live • July 4, 2017

    Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho – SmackDown Live • July 25, 2017

    WWE Championship Match: Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles – SmackDown Live • November 7, 2017

    Going Beast Hunting

    Champion vs. Champion Match: AJ Styles (WWE Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar (Universal Champion) – Survivor Series • November 19, 2017

    WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura- WrestleMania 34 • April 8, 2018

    Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Money in the Bank • June 17, 2018

    The Story Continues

    AJ Styles vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas – SmackDown Live • July 17, 2018

    Do you plan to buy this DVD? Sound off in the comment section.

  • What Happened After SDL & 205 Live Tapings?

    What Happened After SDL & 205 Live Tapings?

    Last night’s (Tues. July 24, 2018) episode of SmackDown Live featured some great moments. Andrade “Cien” Almas was in action against Rusev, The New Day collided with Sanity once again and Samoa Joe emerged as the next opponent for AJ Styles’ WWE Title.

    After SmackDown Live went off-air WWE held its tapings of 205 Live as well. When the Cruiserweights wrapped up their show, WWE put on a big Six-Man Tag Team dark match featuring some of SmackDown Live’s biggest stars.

    WWE Champion AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Jeff Hardy took on the team of United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro). “The Phenomenal One,” Bryan and Hardy picked up the victory and sent the crowd come happy:

    https://twitter.com/AStayAtHomeRad/status/1021952488306561024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1021952488306561024&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwnerd.com%2Fstar-studded-dark-match-happens-after-smackdown-goes-off-the-air-photo%2F

  • AJ Styles’ SummerSlam Opponent Announced

    AJ Styles’ SummerSlam Opponent Announced

    We now know who AJ Styles will be facing at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event.

    As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Evansville, IN at the Ford Center on the USA Network, SmackDown General Manager Paige revealed the challenger for the WWE Champion at this event, which was Samoa Joe.

    As early as last week, there was a lot of speculation online that Joe would be in fact the opponent for Styles at this show due to a few reasons including a cryptic message on his official Twitter account that had fans talking about this potential match and Joe vs. Styles is being advertised for upcoming live events including the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event that is slated to take place on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center.

    The SummerSlam pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured.

    Updated SummerSlam Card

    WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

    WWE RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey

    WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

    WWE Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

    Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman – if Owens wins then he gets the MITB contract

    What are your thoughts on WWE announcing this match for this upcoming pay-per-view event? Is this the match you wanted to see? Sound off in the comment section.