AJ Styles may have shocked the world with his 2016 Royal Rumble debut, but behind the curtain, Vince McMahon wasnt impressed.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, The Phenomenal One revealed that McMahon had zero faith in him when he first arrived in WWE.
A lot of people dont know this, but he did not like AJ Styles, Styles admitted. I gave him plenty of reasonsIm not the tallest guy, I have a Southern accentthere were a lot of things to hate about me.
After his Rumble appearance, Styles was expecting praise, but instead, he got a reality check. I got to the back and he told me, I got a thousand guys that can do what you do. I was like, What?! Styles recalled. McMahon wanted more than just flashy moveshe wanted intensity. He wanted to see more intensityhe wanted a pitbull.
The following week on Miz TV, Styles was given a simple directive: Lay it in. Really put it in there. WWE was testing him, and Styles knew he had to bring the fight.
That shift in aggression changed everything. McMahon took notice, and Styles went from being an outsider to one of WWEs biggest stars. Once he saw that, everything took off, Styles said.
Now a two-time WWE Champion, Styles proved that even if McMahon wasnt convinced at first, the fans certainly were.
Do you think Vince Mc Mahon was wrong about AJ Styles? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
