WWE Superstar AJ Styles makes interesting admission about his debut
Former WWE Champion AJ Styles recently spoke about his honest thoughts before making his re-debut at Royal Rumble 2016.
The Phenomenal One returned to Vince McMahon's promotion 14 years after his initial debut to one of the biggest pops in the event's history. In 2001 and 2002, he had briefly been with the company, mostly wrestling in dark matches or on some of its "B" shows.
By 2016, Styles had made a name for himself all around the world, and fans were clamoring to see one of the best performers in pro wrestling inside a WWE ring.
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While Styles was already a superstar, he was nervous before his re-debut. In an interview with Wrestling Inc., The Phenomenal One described how he was uncertain whether fans would know who he was.
"Listen, I was 37 years old, and I was scared to death that nobody was going to know who I was," said Styles. "I was a guy who was on the indies, and I was in New Japan, but it's different. It's WWE, so I didn't' know what to expect, and, man, was I excited to hear the fans when I walked out. It was amazing."
Following his buzzworthy arrival, Styles became one of the biggest WWE Superstars of the modern era. The former World Champion is widely credited for SmackDown's success between 2016 and 2018 as he led the blue brand to new altars of excitement.
AJ Styles has returned to WWE Championship picture on RAW
The Phenomenal One will be one of the five superstars who will challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber later this month. He defeated Rey Mysterio in a dream match to book a spot in the Chamber bout.
Last week after RAW, Styles noted that while he failed to capitalize on a similar opportunity in the past, he won't repeat his old mistakes this time.
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"Isn't this the Road back to WrestleMania? Haven't we said that? Do you have to win the Royal Rumble to be in the main event? Not if you beat the champ at Elimination Chamber and that's exactly what I intend to do," said Styles. "I have been in Elimination Chamber before and I know what it takes. Oddly enough, had a chance like this before and didn't capitalize. I'll not make the same mistake again." [0:14-0:41]
The four other contenders confirmed for the Elimination Chamber match are Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Austin Theory, and Riddle.
Lashley has the odds stacked against him heading into his upcoming title defense, and it will be interesting to see how the All Mighty responds to the challenge.
Who do you think will come out of the Elimination Chamber with the WWE Title? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.