There is a reason for AJ Styles not going to the NXT when he signed with the WWE and making his main roster debut right away. He is just that good and that talented that the company had the confidence in him that this man is going to learn how WWE does things on the fly. He was way too popular in the world of wrestling that he really didn’t need to build up his name down in NXT to cater to some casual fans.
All of that shows you just how big of a star AJ Styles was, and is right now, even though he has never had a major role in the WWE. As soon as he stepped on that rap at the 2016 Royal Rumble, he became the fan favorite. That is something that only a true star can do.
He recently talked about his debut and how he was treated when he made the jump to the biggest wrestling company in the world. Before that, he worked for the New Japan Pro Wrestling, also a big promotion. But, he feels the jump that he made was a big one.
“You can’t compare the WWE to anything else. It’s amazing. It literally is the best place I’ve ever worked and that’s saying a lot because I’ve worked at a lot of great places, but there’s just something special about the WWE. Here is the way I usually explain it: so I played in the minor leagues. And then, I went to Japan and I also played there. And then, I came to the MLB.”
AJ said that he was treated very well when he came, this guy got to keep his name, got the contract that he wanted and was used really well from the moment of his debut. Chris Jericho is someone that helped him out to learn the WWE ways and Styles is thankful for that.
