WWE News: AJ Styles does not think he's great, reveals cool interactions with peers
What’s the story?
Well, very few people would say AJ Styles isn't a great wrestler - but one of those few is AJ Styles himself.
On a recent podcast, Lillian Garcia's Chasing Glory, the WWE Champion spoke very candidly about why he doesn't think he's that great, about what he loves about being in the ring - and detailed three very cool interactions with three very different WWE Superstars.
In case you didn’t know…
AJ Styles is the current WWE Champion, and few people would be unhappy if he kept that title for the rest of his career. The Phenomenal One came to WWE in 2016 as one of the hottest independent Superstars on the planet and is widely regarded as one of the very best on the planet. His time in WWE has only solidified that.
After debuting in the Royal Rumble Match, AJ Styles has gone on to win the WWE Championship twice and the WWE United States Championship once - competing in amazing matches and memorable feuds against John Cena, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon.
The heart of the matter
AJ Styles was the guest on Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia this week and the WWE Champion surprisingly opened up about how he does not believe he is a great performer - but he did at least give a reason why.
I try to stay humble and never assume anything because when you break down the word assume, you know what that means. Like I said, I never assume anything and in this business, you can't.
The Phenomenal One went on to say that he still aspires to be great one day.
Again, things change so fast and you never know what's going to happen, so I don't assume, 'Oh, I'm that good' or 'I'm that [great]'. First of all, I don't believe I'm that good or I'm that great. I want to be one day, but I never assume."
While you can see AJ's greatest WWE moments above, the current WWE Champion added that he doesn't watch his own matches back as he gets mad at himself as he thinks things could have gone better.
Like the true workhorse he is, Styles also divulged what he enjoys most about his in-ring work - making his opponent look good.
I don't know that I do all the work, but I do enjoy making the guy I'm in the ring with look like a destroyer. I think I get the most satisfaction out of making someone else look good than making my own self look good.
We can't argue that he's incredbly good at it, too. Styles is incredibly good at getting reactions from the crowd and having a great match with whoever he's up against - although, contrary to what some say, The Phenomenal One believes the other person is just as important as him in making a match great.
You can't have an unbelievable match without two guys in the ring. It can't be one guy doing all the work. It doesn't work that way. I don't care what anybody says, I couldn't work a mop and have a great match with it. It takes two and you've got to find out what it is that's going to make this match good.
Styles also shared that one of the most important things to him is earning respect from his peers - sharing some pretty cool stories about some intimate interactions he's had with three in particular.
What I really love are the relationships in this business and when someone comes up to you and says, 'Hey, you earned that the right way.' This was told to me by a guy here and it meant the world to me. He has no idea how much it meant to me, but it did.
The comment did come from someone you may think is an unlikely source, though, as the former United States Champion went on to reveal.
Luke Harper, he came to me and he said, 'you did it the right way. You earned it.' And why he said this, I don't know if I agree with it, but he's like, 'you're the freaking best.' And that meant more to me than anything I've ever done in this business.
Someone, my peer, would say, 'great job' and 'you did it the right way. It wasn't something that was just given to you. It was something you earned.' And I will never forget that, never forget that.
Another special moment came thanks to Roman Reigns, too, in what some people may recall as a similar moment to one that's previously been revealed by Stone Cold and The Rock about the culmination of their rivalry.
The little things they say means everything to me. Roman Reigns spearing me in the middle of the ring and whether he meant to or not, because it was a great match, pinning me, and as he's rolling off, he says, 'I love you, brother.' That's everything to me!
Styles added that he had another great moment with Y2J, too.
Chris Jericho praying with me before my first-ever WrestleMania. That's everything to me! That's where I'm talking about the relationships that you make here.
You can listen to the entire podcast here, and he thank Chasing Glory for the audio content and Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
What’s next?
AJ Styles will defend his WWE Championship at Fastlane this Sunday against John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin.
If successful, he will go on to defend it against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania in a match that's been described by many as a dream match.
Author’s take
With all due respect to AJ Styles, I have to disagree with him. A lot of people may put Kenny Omega at the top of their list, but I'd say The Phenomenal One is just that - and, in my opinion, is the best wrestler in the world today.
It's so cool to hear Styles speak about his interactions with Harper, Reigns and Jericho, too, and you can't help but love Styles both in and out of the ring when he speaks about wrestling so passionately.