AJ Styles Says ‘It Was Only a Matter Of Time’ Before Chad Gable Got Over

Chad Gable is getting a lot of praise from all corners for his work post-El Grande Americano, and AJ Styles says it was always going to happen at some point. Gable had what many have called the match of the year so far at AAA Noche de Los Grandes when he lost a mask vs. mask match to El Grande Americano. Since then, he has returned to Raw and is sticking up for the luchadores as he tries to make amends.

Gable is getting big reactions from the crowds and praise from people in the industry, something Styles echoed on Phenomenally Retro. Styles noted that he hasn’t had a lot of time to watch wrestling, being on a vacation, but he spoke about Gable’s appearance on Raw and praised Gable for getting over on what was initially viewed as a throwaway gimmick for him. You can see highlights below:

On Gable’s Babyface Turn:

“I haven’t watched a lot. I’m just trying to keep up with the highlights of what’s going on. And so, we’ve seen Chad Gable come back. He gave Rey Mysterio his mask back, came in and kind of saved both him and Penta. I thought it was really freaking cool. That’s where I want to see it go. I want to see Chad be a bigger star, he’s obviously a babyface based on the fact that he admitted that he’s not the El Grande Americano. He is not him anymore. I think it’s cool. I’m really excited about where this is going.”

On Gable Getting Over and Praised:

“It was only a matter of time. You know, there’s hills and valleys, and highs and lows. Stuff that we have to deal with — and trust me, he has definitely went through it. But I think the best thing that ever happened to him, was probably the worst thing he thought was happening to him at that time.

“I mean, I’m sure Shorty G was probably the worst thing that ever happened to him, at least he thought at that time. But we were able to get past that and doing the El Grande Americano. But the fact of the matter is, I’m happy for him. This is good stuff.”

On Gable Learning Lucha Libre:

“To brag on Chad Gable a little bit more — when he got that mask on, he was like, ‘Okay, I got to do some lucha stuff.’ And he did, and he worked on that. You know, [it’s] not normally his thing, but based on the character that he was playing, he needed to do some stuff. And so I I thought that was really cool. That’s a team player, that’s what they do, man. They adapt.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Phenomenally Retro with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.