A WWE star has opened up on how they ‘wouldn’t have the life they have’ without AJ Styles following his retirement.
AJ Styles‘ retirement from the ring was made official this week on Raw in Atlanta, where he left his gloves in the ring before the Undertaker announced that he would be entering the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026.
AJ has influenced many wrestlers throughout his iconic career, including WWE’s Xavier Woods, who has explained how he ‘wouldn’t have the life he has’ without the Phenomenal One.
Speaking to No Contest Wrestling, he said:
“So, for people who don’t know, AJ, actually AJ’s wife, said that I should get the shot at Bound for Glory to wrestle him and Tomko, because I had trained with AJ, he needed people to help get some sweat going because he was coming off a run with Daniels as Tag Champions, going back into singles. This is before (Consequences Creed).
“So my buddy Sal Rinauro calls me and he says ‘hey, AJ needs some bodies to bump around’. I was working at a daycare that Summer, and I called my boss, she was my teacher when I was little, so she knew I wanted to be a wrestler. She knew I was on the independents, I said ‘I have a chance to wrestle with this guy, he’s like my favorite wrestler, I need a week off’. She’s like ‘go. Use that week and train with AJ.’
“Months down the road, they’re having this match at Bound for Glory. It’s him and Tomko against Truth and Pac-Man Jones. Pac-Man Jones can’t wrestle because of the NFL contract, so they need somebody who can be in the match.
“So AJ’s wife, as she’s thinking about people, she’s like, ‘oh, that guy was really nice, why don’t you give him a shot?’ And they gave me a shot, sight unseen, to wrestle at their WrestleMania, against AJ.
“And from that I got a contract. From that I got into WWE. From that made New Day. From that I’m sitting here talking to you. So, without AJ sticking his neck out for me, I don’t know if I have the life that I have now.
“So that’s that’s somebody that is very important to me. That’s real life. Now, on the show, the things that he has done that I can’t really condone, he’s not a super great guy in that aspect, clearly being rude to New Day, being rude to Kofi and myself.
“Other than that, I think that he is the greatest to ever do it. He is my my favorite wrestler of all time, and it was very hard seeing his last match, but I’m glad I was there for it.”
If you use this transcription or any portion of it please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
Comments.
Loading comments…