AJ Styles looks back on how his time in NJPW changed his career.
By the time AJ Styles made his NJPW debut, he was already a top star in the wrestling world. He had spent over a decade in TNA, where he won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice and the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship three times. Styles left the company in 2014 and started a new chapter when he came to NJPW. He then defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his first match as a contracted NJPW wrestler.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, AJ Styles reflected on the match and the impact his time in NJPW had on his career.
“The creative changed everything for me. If I were bringing somebody over to be in my company, the last thing I would do is have them win the heavyweight championship as soon as they got there. But that’s what they did. And it worked. It put me on the map immediately. New Japan was getting hot, real hot, and that’s when I got there. I got to be in the ring with incredible talent like Shinsuke [Nakamura], Okada, and [Hiroshi] Tanahashi. Those guys, they’re big time. There were no handcuffs. Whatever I wanted to say or do, I could," Styles said.
Styles also commented on the end of his time in NJPW, as he recalled finding out that top star Shinsuke Nakamura would be heading to WWE. From there, it wasn't long until Styles, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson decided to leave as well.
“When I heard Shinsuke was leaving, he didn’t even know I knew. Nobody knew, I’ll put it like that–and that’s when I spoke about it with Gallows and Anderson, and we all decided to leave," Styles said.
Styles signed with WWE in 2016 and debuted in the 2016 Royal Rumble match. Since then, he has continued to build his legacy. Among other titles, he has won the WWE Championship twice. Styles is set to challenge Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WWE Backlash.
The Undertaker recently called AJ Styles the Shawn Michaels of his generation. Check out his comments here.
