Mike Chioda Says WWE Initially Thought AJ Styles Was “Too Short”

On a recent Monday Mailbag episode, former WWE official Mike Chioda shared an anecdote about the obstacles to AJ Styles joining WWE prior to his 2016 debut (via Wrestling Inc). Chioda remembered being highly impressed with Styles’ talent, but WWE management seemingly had concerns about his height, as the wrestler stands just an inch shy of six feet. Chioda recalled hearing those concerns voiced by WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson and shared his memory of the conversation. You can find a highlight from Chioda below.

On discussing AJ Styles with Patterson: “I said, ‘What a fucking worker he is, man. He had a hell of a match in Japan. He’s amazing.’ I thought he was one hell of a talent, and Pat Patterson goes, ‘Oh, yeah, good worker, but they say he’s too short.’ I’m like, ‘What? Too short?’ I’m thinking, ‘Come on now. If you’re almost 6-foot or 5’11, you still look pretty damn big on TV.'”