During a recent interview with the Boston Herald, AJ Styles discussed his match against John Cena at WWE Crown Jewel: Perth earlier this month, the former WWE Champion shared his reaction to Cena’s heartfelt, customized introduction. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On the ring intro by John Cena: “It definitely caught me off guard. When I heard ‘The definition of Total Nonstop Action,’ I thought to myself, ‘Wait a minute.’ He took this from just being about John to making it about John and AJ Styles. It’s something he didn’t have to do, but that’s John. That’s just who he is.”
On wrestling John Cena after debuting in WWE in 2016: “When I was in TNA, I accepted as reality that I was never going to have a WWE moment. The fact that I was able to wrestle John when I got to WWE [in 2016] was definitely a blessing. Who would have thought that two guys who are drastically different would have so many amazing matches? But the moment this match was announced, we had a feeling we had something special. I don’t know why, but it’s magical when we get in the ring together. And it’s funny because we’re drastically different in every way. The only thing we have in common is wrestling.”
On his Crown Jewel gear: “For those who remembered that magazine cover, this was for them. That wasn’t the same gear I wore. I don’t even know where that gear is. I had to get a new set made. Fortunately, my gear-maker researched and made it exactly the way I wore it back in TNA.”
