When AJ Styles first showed up in WWE back in 2016, a match with Shane McMahon, who returned to the promotion only a month after Styles' debut, didn't seem to be in the cards. And yet, the two collided just one year later at WrestleMania 33, with Styles defeating McMahon in an acclaimed contest.
Speaking about the match on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Styles noted how much pride he took in its reputation, particularly because people weren't high on the match leading up to it.
"No one thought that me and Shane McMahon were going to have a good match," Styles said. "And I thought we did a very good job of making that very entertaining. It had some moments that are really cool. I had the opportunity to work Shane McMahon, an awesome guy. Freakin' love him.
"No one is more dedicated to perfection than Shane McMahon. Ask The Undertaker, he'll tell you. And I respect the heck out of that. And the stuff that he does, like, he's still doing the Shooting Star Press? Are you kidding me? He beats himself up. Man, I have so much respect for Shane. I friggin love him. That was a great match."
When Styles was asked what his WrestleMania moment was, he cited the McMahon match over his first Mania match with Chris Jericho, and the Boneyard Match with The Undertaker.
"I think it may have been the Shane McMahon match," Styles said. "Because I'm working Shane McMahon. Who would've thought that AJ Styles would be working Shane McMahon...in a match, I believe it was the first match of WrestleMania, which was perfect. And to have such a great match and so much fun and be able to get to know a guy...man, that was a really, really awesome [moment]."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
