AJ Styles Wasn't Sure He Was Going To Debut At 2016 WWE Royal Rumble Until One Week Before The Show

The newest episode of WWE Untold is now available on the WWE Network, and it chronicles AJ Styles' debut appearance with the company.

The show goes through AJ's early life, his time with TNA, and touring Japan before eventually reaching his start with WWE. Styles tells the story of negotiating his deal, not knowing if he would be in the match until a week before the event, and jokingly telling Triple H he would enter the match second.

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"Out of the blue, Terry Taylor, just kind of texted me and I texted him back. Is there anything to this WWE, would they want to do? He says, let's, don't let your ego get in the way. I say, hold on, my ego's not getting away. I'm just saying, if there's money there, I don't want to leave it on the table. He said, okay, let me talk to Paul, Triple H. I remember being in my hotel room for a Ring of Honor show and getting a call from Triple H and we had a great 30-minute conversation about WWE. My wife prayed for a certain amount. Triple H said this is what we're offering. I said done.

This was the perfect time for me to go to WWE because everything had changed. Daniel Bryan, who wasn't a big guy, who became a huge star. You could be a regular man and you can make it in the WWE if you're willing to bust your tail, find a way to get there.

I wasn't sure if I was going to be in the Rumble until a week before. I was joking around when I told, when I think I told Triple H like, yeah, I'll come out number two, and lo and behold, they come back because you're going three."

In the five years since his debut, Styles has gone on to hold the WWE Championship twice.

On January 4, AJ Styles announced in a digital exclusive that he is entering the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble Match.

You can view a list of Men's Royal Rumble participants by clicking here. All of the Women's Royal Rumble participants can be seen here. You can view the full updated card for the event here.

If you use any of the quotes above please credit WWE Untold with a h/t to Fightful for the transcription.

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