AJ Styles Says There’s a Lack Of ‘Hunger’ On Indies: ‘It’s Not the Same’

AJ Styles says that things are different on the indies than he remembers, noting there’s not as much “hunger” there. Styles made his way up through the independent scene before he found success in ROH and then TNA, before finally coming to WWE.

Styles is now scouting talent for WWE among his post-retirement work, and he talked about what he sees as different there while speaking with Cody Rhodes on What Do You Wanna Talk About?. You can see highlights below:

On Bad Advice He Received As an Indy Talent:

“Well — and maybe not bad advice I received, but the whole thing about shaking hands. When you used to do the little handshake [with just the fingers]. You know, like ‘Hey, brother.’ Brother shake. One of those things, right? By the time I shook Terry Taylor’s hand at WCW, it was a handshake.

“And so when I did that to another individual that was respected somewhat on the indies, I shook his hand the way Terry shook mine. And he’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa.’ And he said his little spiel about doing the handshake, and I go, ‘Well, that’s not what Terry Taylor said.’ And it shut him up real quick, because Terry Taylor is Terry Taylor. So I kind of smiled a little bit that day. Because I told this guy like, ‘This is the way it’s done now. I’m sorry that you’re…’ And I never really liked that handshake anyway.”

On Outdated Ways Getting Passed Down In the Indies:

“I agree. There’s a lot of things passed down the wrong way, especially on the indies. It’s like — it’s changed, it’s not the same. It’s not what you think. And you can look at it and see that it definitely has changed. The hunger to me, to some, it’s not the same. Like, I was dying to get anything I possibly could, and I don’t think it’s like that as much anymore.”

On His Own Attitude On the Indies:

“I wanted it all. You know, these kids talk about the smoke? I wanted every ounce of it. Whatever was there, I wanted it all, and I just don’t know if it’s like that anymore. I don’t know if they are as hungry as I was. And maybe I was too obsessive, because I’ve learned through talking to other people that, ‘No, AJ was different.’ Like, ‘Oh, I thought everybody was this way,’ and they weren’t. Which explains a lot.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit What Do You Wanna Talk About? with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.