‘The Phenomenal’ AJ Styles has revealed that he would love to see Paul Heyman out of a job in the very near future.
On-screen, the former WWE Champion and the current Special Counsel to the WWE Universal Champion have had limited interaction. Heyman was at ringside when Styles fought Brock Lesnar at the 2017 WWE Survivor Series, but apart from that meeting the pair have been largely kept apart.
However, things have not been so placid behind the scenes as Styles not only requested a move to Friday Night SmackDown so he wouldn’t have to work with the then Executive Director of Monday Night Raw in a personal capacity, but he also blamed Heyman for the releases of his best friends Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in April 2020.
Though the pair were kept apart as much as possible, they met again subsequent to the January 29 Friday Night SmackDown where Styles made a shocking appearance to confront Daniel Bryan.
Joining Kayla Braxton and Paul Heyman for Talking Smack, Styles orated that not only would he seriously consider challenging Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship should he win the Royal Rumble, but nothing would make him happier than seeing the Advocate out of a job:
“That sounds good, doesn’t it Omos, but it’s my decision, and I will make that decision Monday, maybe, or Friday. Let’s just say I choose to go after the Universal Championship and I beat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, and he’s no longer sitting at the head of the table, he’s no longer the alpha. What that means, ultimately, is that you would be out of a job, and nothing would make me happier than to see you out of a job. Yeah, that’d be great.”
While AJ Styles will be one of the official thirty men in the Royal Rumble Match itself, Roman Reigns will defend the WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens in Last Man Standing Match to bring their epic rivalry to a close.
Inside the Ropes will have live coverage of the 2021 Royal Rumble.