AJ Styles on How Vince McMahon Was Initially Unimpressed With His Work, How He Proved Himself

– WWE Superstar and Intercontinental champion AJ Styles recently took part in a Twitch stream, and he spoke on a variety of topics this week. Additionally, Styles revealed how after his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble that Vince McMahon was not impressed with his work in the ring and told him as such and what he had to do in order to impress McMahon. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com).

AJ Styles on Impact Wrestling and AEW: “I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t get the chance to watch [Impact or AEW]. But I know Anderson and Gallows are in Impact, and I know the [Young] Bucks are at AEW, I know Kenny Omega is at AEW, I know Eric Young is in Impact. So, I think it is a great time to be a wrestling fan. Now we just get past this COVID and really jump into wrestling and enjoy it the way we’re supposed to. And competition makes everything better – that’s a good thing.”

His thoughts on Jay White in NJPW: “I’m so, super proud of Jay White. I’ve talked about this before. Just seeing where he was in New Japan and seeing where he’s gotten to is just, oh man, it’s awesome. He has worked so hard. Jay White, I would like to work with him I think, just because I’ve seen his progression and it’s amazing. I’ve never seen him complain, or whine or anything, or not work hard in New Japan. So, I’m stoked for that kid.”

Styles on Eric Young not getting much of a chance on WWE TV: “We’ve had some talent that maybe they didn’t have the opportunity [to impress Vince]. I think of guys like Eric Young, who is unbelievably awesome, and I don’t know if we got that opportunity. I wish we would have seen more of him on WWE television. So, he’s been one of my favorite guys since he’s been around TNA and WWE. Man, he was just awesome. I enjoyed working with him, being around him, and everything.”

AJ Styles on how you have to impress Vince McMahon on TV: “You’ve got to find a way to make a name for yourself and everybody has to do it. It’s when you get an opportunity to get into the ring, you hope that Vince is watching or someone else. You hope that there is a reaction, right? That was the great thing that I had… the reaction that I got at the Royal Rumble 2016 was awesome. It was amazing, but Vince didn’t really believe that – [he thought] that it was a fluke, basically. That’s what he thought it was. I wasn’t even going to be on RAW the next day, but they convinced him otherwise. I had a match and I think he was [unimpressed], like, ‘Whatever, I’ve got guys that can do this.’ And he literally told me that. But once Vince sat me down and said, ‘This is what I need from you,’ after he told me what he needed, I had one chance to show him exactly who he wanted. And that’s what happened.”