AJ Styles has spoken about a WWE match that was much better than it had any right to be.
Having now been a part of the company for over 9 years, Styles has continued to live up to his phenomenal moniker with great matches against the likes of John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes. Additionally, the former World Champion was entrusted to be The Undertaker’s final opponent. However, while many have expected Styles to have the match of the night when they see his name on the card, one particular event saw many question the booking ahead of time.
In 2017, Styles’ WrestleMania opponent was Shane McMahon, who had faced Undertake the year before in a Hell in a Cell match that was not exactly well-received by the fans. With McMahon not a wrestler and with other possible matchups available, this was not a match fans were looking forward to ahead of the show.
However, when it came to the match itself, both put on a great performance in the opening match that was regarded as one of the best bouts of the night when all was said and done.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Styles admitted that no one thought the match would be good but credited McMahon for his dedication to the match:
“No one thought that me and Shane McMahon were going to have a good match. And I thought we did a very good job of making that very entertaining. It had some moments that are really cool. I had the opportunity to work Shane McMahon, an awesome guy. Freakin’ love him.
“No one is more dedicated to perfection than Shane McMahon. Ask The Undertaker, he’ll tell you. And I respect the heck out of that. And the stuff that he does, like, he’s still doing the Shooting Star Press? Are you kidding me? He beats himself up. Man, I have so much respect for Shane. I friggin love him. That was a great match.”
Later in the interview, Styles added that the McMahon match was his favourite Mania moment so far:
“I think it may have been the Shane McMahon match. Because I’m working Shane McMahon. Who would’ve thought that AJ Styles would be working Shane McMahon…in a match, I believe it was the first match of WrestleMania, which was perfect. And to have such a great match and so much fun and be able to get to know a guy…man, that was a really, really awesome [moment].”
Who Will AJ Styles Face At WrestleMania 41?
Although a Mania match for Styles has not been confirmed at the time of writing, it appears that The Phenomenal One’s opponent is already set. Following an altercation on Raw, AJ Styles called out Logan Paul.
H/t to Wrestling Inc.