AJ Styles’ WWE debut is one of the most iconic debuts of all time and the Phenomenal One has gone on to become one of the top stars of the company since then.
However, the former World Champion didn’t know how he would
be treated by the fans and management before coming in, and according to
Styles, he was ‘terrified’ before his WWE debut.
The former TNA star was the guest on the latest episode of WWE Backstage and while talking about his first night in the company, AJ recalled how the experience was intimidating:
“I was terrified,” Styles said. “We went over
the match, and they took me out of the trailer where they were hiding me, and I
saw Road Dogg and I didn’t want to let him go. I’m in someone else’s house.
It’s their home.
I’m a guest. I don’t live there yet. I didn’t know until
literally days before, I didn’t know. I don’t think many people knew. It was
huge for me and intimidating. I’m a 38 year old man coming to the WWE for the
first time, it’s intimidating.”
AJ Styles made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble in January
2016. He has since become one of the top stars of the company and has won a
number of championships in the promotion, including winning the world
championship twice.
Styles is currently scheduled to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. You can check out an updated match card for the event at this link.
WWE Superstar AJ Styles joined FS1’s WWE Backstagethis week where he opened up about his role as a locker room leader. During his time on the show, he also offered some words of encouragement to a couple of frustrated WWE Superstars.
With a career has extensive as Styles’, there are plenty of Superstars eager to learn from ‘The Phenomenal One.’
“I don’t think they’re green, they’ve earned their way into the WWE but it is a roller coaster ride,” Styles said. “There is going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. You have the internet saying this and that and a lot of it is not true.”
He continued, “I want to talk to those people, I want to sit down with them and say listen: ‘Keep doing what you’re doing, keep working, keep learning and you’ll get to where you need to be. How’s everything at home? Is everything great? Think about that stuff, your bills are being paid, think about the positives in your life, don’t think about your job.’ As much as we love this business at the end of the day it’s still a job.”
AJ Styles With Words Of Encouragement
When asked to name a few Superstars he believes will be WWE’s next big stars, AJ Styles was quick to name Ricochet, Cedric Alexander and Shayna Baszler.
“Ricochet, definitely, this guy is unbelievable, the talent that he has,” Styles shared. “Cedric Alexander, another guy, unbelievable. Shayna Baszler. There are opportunities for these athletes, and they will come if they are not already. These guys were high for a moment, I’ve gotten beat by Cedric, beat by Ricochet, it’s okay, we’re gonna get there. I see these guys on their way up. Just because you’re on the downturn doesn’t mean you’re not going to come back up. We just got to wait our turn sometimes.”
He confessed that he’s been in a similar situation and has shared their frustrations. Styles added that he has felt that way in WWE. He explained how it comes down to accepting the idea that “[…] it’s not my turn it’s somebody else, I’ll just wait and do the best I can with what I’ve got.”
AJ Styles is scheduled to face off against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
WWE Backstage had seen a big drop in viewership numbers just last week and the show has made a record for low viewership this week once again.
This week’s episode of the WWE series which featured AJ
Styles and Xavier Woods as the special guests drew only 35,000 viewers,
according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is not only the lowest viewership the show has garnered
this year but it’s the lowest number it has done since its official premiere in
October last year.
WWE Backstage did a 0.01 rating in the 18-49 demographic this week and the show’s numbers were delayed because it once again failed to make it into the Cable Top 150.
In comparison, last week’s episode of the show, which was built around the return of Jeff Hardy, had drawn 56,000 viewers.
During the WWE Backstage episode, WWE had announced the return of Jeff Hardy for this week’s SmackDown and the company has since confirmed the appearance of former world champion John Cena for the show as well.
Though the SmackDown episode seems to be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus outbreak. While WWE has denied the reports of the show being canceled, they have revealed that they are putting contingency plans in place.
You can check out their statement on the matter here.
The winner of the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble match is set to face off against WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. However, in a recent interview with Adi Kft & EGO Total from Israel, Drew McIntyre revealed which other Superstar he would love to have a one-on-one match with: “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles.
When asked whom he’d like to compete against, Drew McIntyre admitted there were several Superstars he’d love to clash with. For him, however, it’s AJ Styles. He noted how, for some reason, they’ve been like ships passing in the night.
“[…] but the number one guy who I keep missing over the years – we are like ships crossing each other over the night – we missed the chance on IMPACT and the independent scene. Promoters are trying to book this match for a long time, but for some reason or another I couldn’t make it, he couldn’t make it.”
McIntyre continued, “When I came back to Raw he was on SmackDown. Now we are both on Raw, and that would be AJ Styles. I don’t think, I know we could have great matches and do a lot of cool things together. It’s been years coming so I am looking forward for it.”
Drew McIntyre challenges Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5th from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Current NXT Champion Adam Cole has revealed who his WrestleMania dream match would be against. For the black-and-gold brand Superstar, there’s only one name that comes to mind: “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles.
“[…] if I could have a WrestleMania match with anybody right now in WWE, really in the world, I would love to wrestle AJ Styles at WrestleMania,” Cole told FLO WWF. “I’ve wrestled him a couple of times before. He’s one of the absolute best I’ve ever faced before, but I’ve never beat him.”
“So he’s a guy I definitely want to get the chance to get in the ring with again. But, to me, when I think about, like, the top 3 lists of the best performers on the planet today, AJ Styles is always on my list. [He’s] just an unbelievably great athlete and I think we could have a really, really great match, especially on a stage like WrestleMania. Yeah, so AJ Styles would be my pick.”
Adam Cole Versus AJ Styles
The Undisputed Era had a run-in with AJ Style and his O.C. cohorts, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, a few months ago. The O.C. invaded NXT, attacking Cole and his stablemates before the show had a chance to start.
They would end up in the main event of that episode against the team of Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle and Keith Lee. Following their NXT appearance, it was reported that AJ Styles attempted to pitch a matchup between the two stables for last year’s Survivor Series.
Adam Cole is scheduled to defend his NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Portland. The event takes place on February 16th from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Super ShowDown PPV.
On Monday’s episode of RAW, it was announced that United States Champion Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, AJ Styles, R-Truth, and Rusev will battle in a Gauntlet Match to earn the right to receive the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy.
It’s possible that WWE could add more stars to this contest. This also means that Styles is cleared or will be cleared come the day of the show after suffering a shoulder injury at the Royal Rumble.
WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE Super ShowDown Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. John Morrison & The Miz
Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin – Steel Cage Match
Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match: Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, AJ Styles, R-Truth, Rusev
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has shared his thoughts on O.C. leader AJ Styles. In an interview with Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda, Angle stressed how he believes Styles to be just as good in the ring as he was 10 years ago. He noted how Styles should have been a member of the WWE locker room a decade ago.
Kurt Angle’s Phenomenal Praise
“Oh, I think WWE should have brought him in ten years ago,” Angle shared. “Unfortunately they didn’t but they got him. AJ’s still going strong. I’d say he’s every bit as good as he was ten years ago so I just hope his career continues on and he can give us a few more years.”
Angle added how, although Styles has been wrestling for over 20 years, including his experience as an amateur wrestler, he is consistently one of the best performers in the business, let alone WWE. He explained how, for him, “The Phenomenal One” might be one of the best wrestlers in the world, and has been for the past 8 years.
Kurt Angle and AJ Styles previously worked together before their time in WWE. They were both signed to IMPACT Wrestling, where they wrestled together on several occasions before crossing paths in WWE.
AJ Styles was on his Mixer channel last night playing video games and talking about his recent injury. Styles suffered a shoulder injury during the Royal Rumble match after taking a Spear from Edge in a rather dramatic fashion. Styles did a flip when taking the move and ended up landing on his shoulder.
During his Mixer stream last night, Styles emphasized that the injury was not Edge’s fault in the least.
“Just so everything is clear, Edge did nothing, absolutely 100% nothing wrong. His move, his spear, everything was perfect the way he did it. If there is any blame put on anybody about what I’m dealing with, my shoulder, it’s me. 100% me. I was ‘over-brothered’ as they say. I just went crazy with my bump there. The only problem with flipping over the way that I did was the first thing to hit was my left shoulder. And I thought I had dislocated my shoulder.”
Styles continued to talk about the moments following his injury.
“They wanted to get me out of there right away and I told them I can’t roll under the bottom rope. That’s not how the Rumble works. I said ‘I’m staying in, somebody is going to have to throw me over.’”
It was reported on a recent Wrestling Observer Radio that Styles hopes to be fully recovered in 4-6 weeks. This would mean he’s back in time for WrestleMania.
WWE put on a great show in Royal Rumble but it appears that not all stars made it out of the event unharmed as the former World Champion AJ Styles suffered an injury.
Fans had noted that AJ seemed banged up after taking a spear from Edge and it was strange that he was eliminated from the Royal Rumble match before all the members of the OC came out.
Now a report from PWinsider confirms these suspicions and it reveals that Styles suffered an injury on his left arm during the match this Sunday.
According to reports, AJ suffered the damage after he landed awkwardly on his left shoulder while taking the spear from the returning Edge. While he did get back up, the former Champion was still seen holding his left arm.
A referee then communicated with the OC member on the apron and Styles was eliminated by Edge. You can check out the spot in which he seemingly suffered the injury below:
AJ Styles was talking to these fools before that suspect elimination.. Must've hurt his shoulder taking that spear from Edge #RoyalRumblepic.twitter.com/gEVontovCm
AJ Styles was attended by the medics right after his elimination and per the reports; he was seen with his arm wrapped up and with ice backstage after the incident.
So far there is no word yet on the severity of the injury so
it’s hard to say if he will be missing any time but we’ll keep you posted on
his status.
AJ Styles has looked back on what was one of the more special debuts in the history of WWE, which was no doubt a memorable night for him.
Styles recently spoke with Yahoo Sports where he talked about competing in the 30-Man WWE Royal Rumble Match. Styles made his WWE debut in 2016 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Styles brought up how you have to think about it all as not only is it one of the biggest pay-per-views in WWE, it’s WWE in general. He recalled it being his first time under contract, working for a company that is easily the biggest in the world.
AJ Styles Looks Back On His WWE Debut
Styles talked about how he was a little nervous about it and remembering if anyone knew who he was despite him working in TNA, which he called a little place in Orlando, and in Japan.
“I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. I was in a position that gave me the opportunity to really shine,” Styles recalled. “When I walked out for the Royal Rumble, there was only one man in the ring. I went No. 3 and the spotlight was on me. The fans had no idea whose music was playing and then when they figured out who it was, it was even more exciting because they had no idea what would happen and they had no idea that AJ Styles was coming to WWE.”
Styles lasted almost 30 minutes in his debut before being eliminated by Kevin Owens. His career took off starting that night in WWE.
He continued, “It couldn’t have been any better. Once I step into the ring, those jitters and that nervousness goes away, that doesn’t exist anymore. Walking down the aisle, yes, you’re still feeling it.”
WWE Superstar AJ Styles has revealed why he isn’t a fan of social media. Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Styles opened up about his opinion, commenting on how he wished “social media didn’t exist.”
“[…] it’s terrible,” Styles stated. “I honestly wish social media didn’t exist, and [these] are arguments that I have with my own wife about things that… it’s like, listen, if some crazy stuff happened, happened when we were kids, we just didn’t know about it but now, you know everything about anything that goes on because of social media. It’s terrible. I wish we didn’t have it guys. I really do.”
AJ Styles On Contemplating Retirement
When asked by host Mark Henry if he was close to retirement, Styles confirmed he believes he is. He reflected on how, as he has gotten older, his energy levels aren’t where they once were.
“You can see that starting to deplete and I’ve said this before, I don’t want to be that AJ Styles that everybody goes, ‘Wow, I wish he could still do that’ or, ‘Oh wow, he’s really slow.’ I don’t want that. I wanna be the AJ Styles that people will remember and go out that way. Will I be like I was when I was 25? There’s no way. It’s just not possible.”
Styles is currently involved in a storyline against “The Viper” Randy Orton. Their feud further developed last week on Monday Night RAW after a supposedly injured Orton managed to surprise Styles with an RKO.
From 2004 to 2010, TNA Wrestling used a 6-sided ring. Some fans loved the unique feel to the ring but others were less enthusiastic. During WWE Network’s recent Table for 3 episode with Sting, Jeff Jarrett, and AJ Styles, the 3 former TNA stars talked about the polarizing 6-sided ring.
“Internally, that was a nightmare battle,” Jarrett said about getting the 6-sided ring approved.
“I hated it,” Sting said. “Too many years wrestling in the squared circle.”
“I told Hulk that,” Jarrett continued. “I said ‘why do you hate it?’ and he said ‘ah brother, it’s just not right.'”
“It’s the only thing that got us shelf space in the toy market,” Jarrett continued. “They didn’t care about action figures, they didn’t care about talent, ‘oh you got a 6-sided ring? That will sell, we want it.'”
“I grew to love it,” Styles said. “I thought it made us so different from anything anybody else was seeing. It was kind of like with cagefighting, it looked like that. It made it more sports-oriented being so different to that box ring. We had 6-sides and looked like MMA kind of, it was different. I loved that look to the point where when I heard we were going to lose it, I was mad.”
“You and a few others were vocal,” Jarrett said to Styles.
“I wasn’t complaining when it was gone,” Sting added.
Highlights from the Table for 3 episode can be viewed in the player below:
The WWE Network is slated to air a new episode of Table For 3 on Monday night starring AJ Styles, Sting, and Jeff Jarrett where the three former TNA icons talk about a wide range of topics.
WWE’s YouTube channel released this clip where they talked about the six-sided ring that was used in TNA, now known as Impact Wrestling.
Sting talked about how he hated it. When asked why he thinks that, the WWE Hall of Famer stated he had too many years wrestling in the squared circle and that, “It just changed the dynamic of everything. You know, I suppose it’s good for some and not so good for others.”
Jarrett chimed in by stating that Hulk Hogan didn’t like the ring either but did point out that their unique ring is the only thing that got them shelf space in the toy market.
Styles gave his take by noting that he was a fan of the ring because he thought “It made us so different from anything anybody else was seeing, you know with cage fighting.”
He added, ”It made it more sport-oriented, being so different than the box ring. It looked like MMA.”
It appears as though things are far from over between Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles and Roderick Strong. Following their Triple Threat match at this past Sunday’s Survivor Series, the Superstars have been lashing out at each other via social media.
Strong would emerge victorious from their hard-fought clash, stealing the win at the last moment from Styles. WWE soon posted a video interview with Strong where he addressed that night’s success. Styles responded to Strong’s words, writing “Enjoy it, Roddy. You know where I’ll be every Monday night. #WWERaw #SurvivorSeries”
If Styles’ challenge wasn’t enough, Nakamura then got involved, claiming that Strong’s win was simply “lucky” and that he’ll end up paying for it. The current Intercontinental Champion then promised that he and Styles weren’t done yet, alluding that all three men have unfinished business with each other despite all representing different WWE brands.
“Congrats @roderickstrong.but it was just lucky. You’ll pay for this soon maybe. @AJStylesOrg, we’re not done yet. Anyway I was standing tall in the ring…. tallest. #SurvivorSeries #RAW #SmackDown #NXT #AnStupidEra”
Strong would see Nakamura’s insult, responding to the “King of Strong Style” that he was open to a 1-on-1 matchup any time.
I am open to a 1 on 1 match up any time my friend. Let’s see if it was luck! https://t.co/ivS1InwMNN
His victory on Sunday wasn’t the only win for the Undisputed Era. NXT Champion Adam Cole would also successfully defend his gold against “The Bruiserweight” Pete Dunne, subsequently being referred to as NXT’s “Iron Man” by Triple H.
In a rare match, WWE had all of the secondary champions from Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown, and NXT battle it out inside of the squared circle.
At WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network, the promotion did just that when they booked an interesting contest.
The bout had WWE United States Champion AJ Styles vs. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.
These three stars battled it out in a non-title triple threat match that saw Strong win. Now, Strong has the bragging rights for the victory.
This marked the first time that a secondary champion from NXT was featured in a match at Survivor Series, which is considered one of the big four events of the year for WWE along with WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam.
It’s been reported by Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com that Styles pitched for a matchup between The O.C. and NXT’s Undisputed Era to take place at Survivor Series. However, the idea was shot down.
What are your thoughts on WWE having win the interbrand match at this show? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE United States Champion AJ Styles recently called NXT’s Mauro Ranallo the best commentator in the business. After being told by a fan that he was acting as though he didn’t know who Jim Ross is because of his allegiance to WWE and its WWE Universe, however, Styles snapped back.
He admitted that, although he usually doesn’t reply to “morons,” this particular fan had earned it:
“Normally I don’t reply to real morons, but you’ve earned it. @mauroranallo is one of the busiest commentators not only in wrestling, but in sports that people get knocked out. Why do you think that’s so? You simple minded idiot.”
Stop acting like you dont know who @JRsBBQ is cause you work in that "universe" where no other company exists. I love @mauroranallo and he should be calling Raw but he's not better then @JRsBBQ or @tonyschiavone24
— Call me whatever you want but late for dinner🤨 (@Bongiorno215) November 10, 2019
Normally I don’t reply to real morons, but you’ve earned it. @mauroranallo is one of the busiest commentators not only in wrestling, but in sports that people get knocked out. Why do you think that's so? You simple minded idiot. https://t.co/IHO8CkifTX
AJ Styles recently invaded WWE’s black-and-gold brand alongside O.C. stablemates, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The trio assaulted Undisputed Era before the show started live and would feature in that episode’s main event. They faced the team of Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle and Keith Lee.
Styles reportedly pitched for a matchup between The O.C. and Undisputed Era to take place at WWE’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Undisputed Era is involved in a WarGames match on NXT TakeOver on the Saturday. The next day sees Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish participate in a Championship Triple Threat match on Survivor Series. Due to their busy schedule, a matchup between The O.C. and Undisputed Era will apparently take place on NXT television.
WWE United States Champion AJ Styles reportedly pitched for a matchup between The O.C. and NXT’s Undisputed Era to take place at Survivor Series.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, this proposed match will most likely take place on an episode of NXT television.
“[…] it looks right now that if the match will take place on NXT television down the line, or on television somewhere since they shot the angle for it on NXT.”
It is believed that Styles will end up in a triple threat match at Survivor Series against Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong.
NXT Invasion
Styles and his O.C. teammates, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, invaded the black-and-gold brand on this week’s episode of NXT.
They assaulted the Undisputed Era before NXT started and competed in the main event against Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle and Kieth Lee. Their match ended in a no-contest after both Finn Balor and Undisputed Era’s Adam Cole became involved in the clash.
The Undisputed Era has a busy Survivor Series weekend. On Saturday, the stable competes in a WarGames matchup against Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle, Kieth Lee and a final member who is yet to be announced.
The next day at Survivor Series, Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly compete in a Tag Team Championship triple threat match. They take on RAW’s Viking Raiders and SmackDown’s The Revival.
AJ Styles was part of the group of WWE Superstars stuck in Saudi Arabia recently. Upon his arrival home, Styles took to his Mixer stream to talk about the experience. According to Styles, he was informed by the flight crew about mechanical and scheduling issues which prevented the flight from leaving.
“We got to the airport, they weren’t letting us board,” Styles said. “What was the problem? Not real sure. I heard there was a fuel truck in the way and the guy who drove the fuel truck had left to go home. I know, this makes no sense. Why would he leave if he knows he has a plane that’s leaving? Then there were some paperwork issues. Finally, after 4-5 hours, we get on the plane. Then the ‘fuel something or another’ was broken. People can say, ‘It wasn’t broken.’ But I talked to the pilot and he said, ‘Listen, there was a problem. That’s a real thing.'”
Then Styles said they ran into issues with regulations regarding how long pilots can be active before requiring rest. It seems the plane was then not able to take-off as the assigned crew needed to go to a hotel and sleep.
“The problem was, we spent all that time, from 1 o’clock to 6 or 8 in the morning, waiting to get on the plane and them telling us we can’t go anywhere because the pilots had timed out. The pilots can only go so long before they’re not able to fly because they’re not able to go 24 hours at a time. They had to go to a hotel, we had to find a hotel. Were there guns and people like ‘EVERYBODY OFF THE PLANE!’ No, that never happened. Nobody threatened to kill us. Nobody was gonna get murdered.”
Styles then addressed recent reports that a financial dispute between Vince McMahon and the Saudi government may have played a role in the plane being delayed.
“I have no idea what happened between Vince [McMahon] and [Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman]. That’s not my job to say anything. Was I pretty angry about not getting home because I missed my son’s wrestling match? You have no idea. This was out of our hands and out of the pilot’s hands. There’s no point in getting mad about something I have no control of. We’ll find out as we go along why things happened. Or we won’t. I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. I’ll deal with it when I need to. But I’m not gonna throw WWE under the bus either. It’s not gonna do me any good to throw anybody under the bus. Until I know more, I’m not gonna say anymore or say anything negative. If I did find out and I was offended, I would go to the source.”
Two new matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel PPV.
On Wednesday’s episode of WWE’s web series, The Bump, it was announced a new #1 contender for the United States Title would be decided by the winner of a Battle Royal at Crown Jewel. The competitors in the Battle Royal have yet to be announced.
The second match will see that winner challenge AJ Styles for the title later in the show.
WWE presents the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event on Thursday, October 31, 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Crown Jewel Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury
WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt – Falls Count Anywhere Match
Team Flair (Randy Orton, Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, Drew McIntyre) vs. Team Hogan (Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Ali, and Chad Gable)
Cesaro vs. Mansoor
The New Day vs. The Viking Raiders vs. Heavy Machinery vs. Lucha House Party vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins vs. The Revival vs. The O.C. vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. The B-Team – Tag Team Turmoil Match (Winner to crown the Best Tag Team in the World)
#1 Contender To United States Title Battle Royal: TBA vs. TBA
WWE United States Champion AJ Styles vs. TBD
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Ahead of SmackDown’s FOX premiere, AJ Styles spoke with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture. The former WWE Champion shared his thoughts on NXT’s current roster of talent. He also named who he finds particularly impressive amongst the black-and-gold Superstars.
“I think Adam Cole and his crew, I mean they are going to stand out, Velveteen Dream, obviously, guys like that. And the girls, you name it. There’s a lot of talent in NXT. It’s just whether or not they want to come to RAW or SmackDown or stay there in NXT. Everybody’s on Television now so it’s beneficial to everyone.”
He reflected on how now is a great time to be a fan of professional wrestling. Styles pointed at the talent that exists on RAW, SmackDown and NXT as an example of how exciting wrestling currently is, and how he loves being a part of the WWE roster.
“[…] it’s so refreshing to know that we’re not just in a couple of houses. We’re all over the world. I no longer have to say ‘yeah, like WWE,’ no, [I can say] ‘with WWE.’”
AJ Styles competed in six-man tag team action this past Sunday at WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. He teamed with his O.C. stablemates Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a losing effort against The Viking Raiders and Braun Strowman. They lost via disqualification.
Another match has been announced for next Monday’s episode of WWE RAW.
On Wednesday, WWE officially announced that AJ Styles will make his next title defense as WWE United States Champion against Cedrick Alexander.
This match was set up when Alexander got the better of Styles during a brief brawl this past Monday. The two stars had been feuding over the last several weeks.
Styles and Alexander most recently competed against each other in a singles match when Styles beat Alexander to retain the title at the WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view event in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Spectrum Center on the WWE Network. The contest aired during the pre-show.
This show takes place at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. WWE is loading up the show and hyping it as a new season of RAW, they have done in the past.
Below is the updated announced line-up:
Brock Lesnar to appear
The Miz hosts MizTV with WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan
WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins defends against the winner of the Fatal 5 Way Match
Sasha Banks vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Alexa Bliss
WWE United States Champion AJ Styles defends against Cedric Alexander
AJ Styles is still the WWE United States Champion.
As seen at Sunday’s (September 15, 2019) WWE Clash of Champions pre-show before the live pay-per-view event in Charlotte, North Carolina on the WWE Network, Styles beat Cedric Alexander to successfully retain the strap. It was a quick match that saw Styles beatdown Alexander after the match.
Styles beat Ricochet to win the United States Title in June at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Philadelphia, PA.
Both stars will likely receive new opponents for different feuds heading into the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on Sunday, October 6, 2019 in Sacramento, California at the Golden 1 Center. It’s possible that WWE continues this program.
This match comes after the two battled on Monday’s RAW in a non-title match.
This program came after Alexander entered the King of the Ring tournament where he defeated Sami Zayn in the first round.
After finding success under the 205 Live banner that included a run as the Cruiserweight Champion, Alexander was drafted to RAW as part of this year’s Superstar Shakeup.
What are your thoughts on AJ Styles retaining the United States Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Off the back of his victory over AJ Styles on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, Cedric Alexander has been granted an opportunity at Styles’ United States Championship. WWE’s Twitter account revealed the matchup, noting how Alexander had “earned it.”
Now AJ Styles has responded to the announcement. The WWE United States Champion replied, “Celebrate your night @TheGarden kid. # TheOC’s been doing this a longggg time and one night isn’t good enough. You have to be better than good. Better than great. To beat me for the #USTitle? You have to be #phenomenal. #WWEClash”
Cedric Alexander also shared his thoughts, simply tweeting “UnitedStatesOfAlexander.”
Alexander defeated AJ Styles via disqualification after O.C. members, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, got involved in the match, attacking Cedric Alexander. The Viking Raiders, however, would make the save, helping Alexander fight off the assault at the hands of The O.C.
Cedric Alexander will face AJ Styles for the WWE United States Championship this Sunday at WWE’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
Clash Of Champions 2019
WWE Universal Championship Match Seth Rollins (c) vs. Braun Strowman
WWE Championship Match Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton
WWE RAW Tag Team Championship Match Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler & Bobby Roode
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match Drew Gulak (c) vs. Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado – Triple Threat
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. The Miz
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match The New Day (c) vs. The Revival
WWE Raw Women’s Championship Match Becky Lynch (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (c) vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose
WWE United States Championship Match AJ Styles (c) vs. Cedric Alexander
This week’s episode of Raw did not have any dark matches
after the show but the fans did get to see another Stone Cold Steve Austin
stunner after the episode got over.
The opening segment of Raw saw AJ Styles and the OC
interrupting the contract signing between Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman
moderated by The Texas Rattlesnake.
After a lot of trash talk from Styles, Strowman and Rollins
attacked the Club and the segment ended with Stone Cold delivering his
signature stunner to the Phenomenal One.
Austin came out once again later in the night and he
celebrated with Cedric Alexander, The Viking Raiders, Braun Strowman, and Seth
Rollins after they defeated the team of The Club, Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode
in the main event of the show.
The show went off air with the Hall Of Famer celebrating a
beer bath with everyone but he stayed around afterward and called AJ Styles
back in the ring.
The former World Champion then went on to praise Styles and
expressed the desire to share a cold one with the former TNA Star, saying that
he respects everything AJ has done.
The two then shook hands and shared a beer but Stone Cold Steve Austin still delivered a second stunner of the night to Styles to close the segment:
Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman will now face each other for the Universal Championship at Sunday’s Clash Of Champions PPV. You can check out the full match card for the event here.
While others might be looking to make the most out of the recently increased competition in the wrestling world, the current US Champion AJ Styles is one star who is looking to ride off into the sunset after his current WWE tenure ends.
Styles has expressed his desire to retire from active
competition after his current run with WWE and during a recent interview, the
former WWE Champion reiterate his comments.
AJ, along with his partners Gallows and Anderson was a guest on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast and discussing his career, the Phenomenal one reassured that his current WWE contract is his last:
“I had no doubt that you know this is what I was going to do for my career. It really was. And you couldn’t have told me any different. And I can tell you that the contract that I signed, here in the WWE, is my last. This is it for me. This is where I’m going to end my career no matter what happens. I got to, you know? I want to be there for my kids.”
While many thought that the day might never come, AJ Styles
finally signed with WWE in 2016 after making his name all over the world and
competing in all other major companies.
He had signed a 3 years contract at the time. The former WWE
Champion confirmed signing an extension on that earlier this year, though the
length of his current WWE deal is unknown.