AJ Styles Reveals Why He Turned Down WWE in 2002

In 2002, a twenty-five year-old AJ Styles could have signed with WWE. That’s not just speculation and optimism talking, either. they offered him a contract, and he said no to it. Why? Not because he was a bigger WCW fan growing up. On the Rich Eisen Show, with O’Shea Jackson Jr & TJ Jefferson, he revealed his extremely practical reasons:

“Listen, this was hard for me, because of course I wanted to make it in the WWE,” sad Styles. “I wanted to at least train to be better, and I went up there and I had a decent training, and they offered me a deal.”

“And mind you, I had to move to Cincinnati for $500 a week. And I know that this is a couple years ago, so it’s not terrible money, but I was also making that at my regular job…and they took out taxes.” As an independent contractor job, WWE would have had more taxes than a salaried position, unless Styles had an accountant really good at deductions.

“I delivered bottled water,” he recalled. “It is what it is. Actually, my first job, when i got to WCW, I was delivering bottled water. By the time I got to the tryout with WWE, I was a non-emergency ambulance driver. Which means I have a van, and I go pick up people from nursing home mostly, and I take ’em to the doctor for their doctor’s appointments. One of my favorite jobs, because of the older folk that I got to talk to.”

Besides the money, there was another important factor. The Phenomenal One wanted to be a phenomenal spouse more than anything.

“My wife was in college to be a schoolteacher, and I just didn’t think it was right for me to go off and leave her, and her move back into her parents’ house. That is not how a husband does things. I made sure that we put her priorities, her dream first, and see what happens. And you know what? It turned out to be probably the best thing I could have done.”

Considering his career overall, it certainly worked out well in the end.