AJ Styles On Why He Thinks WWE Never Reached Out Before 2016

In an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, two-time WWE Champion AJ Styles dropped by to discuss his career. The conversation was recorded on the eve of the 2022 Royal Rumble in St Louis, Missouri.

AJ signed for WWE in January 2016 after working at IMPACT Wrestling for the majority of his career. He revealed that he would have been OK had his career ended without ever joining Vince McMahon's company.

"My success doesn't determine what other people think of me. I determine my success," AJ said. "I was able to pay off a house without working in WWE, and that to me was being successful. But, knowing that I would never have a WrestleMania moment kinda sucked, but I was OK with not having the opportunity to be at WrestleMania. I did well for myself and probably did a lot more than most people thought I would before WWE."

Styles stated that he never questioned why WWE did not call him before 2016, he always assumed that they just didn't require his services.

"I never really asked myself that question [when asked if he ever wondered why WWE never called him]," AJ explained. "I just assumed they didn't need me, but they had so much talent there, maybe they don't need an AJ Styles. They had Daniel Bryan at the time, so why would they need AJ Styles? And I was OK with that.

"When I was trying to talk to Triple H for the first time, he was supposed to call me after talking to Terry Taylor [who eventually opened the door for AJ Styles to join WWE]. I just told him, 'Hey man, if there's an opportunity then I'd like to have it.' Then Triple H was supposed to call me. He didn't. That's OK. I just assumed they had all the talent they needed."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Ariel Helwani & BT Sport with an h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.