For his Undisputed newsletter yesterday (Feb. 25), Justin Barrasso wrote that “for as much as WWE claims to be blissfully unaware of what is happening in AEW, that isn’t the case.” He did so just before noting that AJ Styles being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame shortly after his last match at Royal Rumble last month “severely limits any potential AEW owner Tony Khan had of bringing Styles in”.
The implication seemed to be that the Phenomenal One’s clearly deserving spot in WWE’s club was rushed
to keep him from considering jumping to AEW for some dream matches. Barrasso also claimed sources close to Styles told him AJ “was well aware that AEW was willing to make a substantial offer” with a schedule that “wouldn’t cost him much time away from home”.
While it was seemed Barrasso might be encouraging us to connect some dots he hadn’t been able to prove connected, it also would have fit in with the often-contentious, sometimes-cutthroat AEW/WWE rivalry. It probably wouldn’t even rank among the top worst things the industry leader and challenger brand have done since AEW launched seven-years-ago.
But early clips from Styles’ Good Brothers Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows Talk’n Shop podcast offered an equally if not more plausible explanation. AJ’s Bullet Club and OC teammates attended Raw‘s tribute to the Phenomenal One on Monday night, which included news of Styles’ Hall induction. Anderson said when he spoke to the newest Hall of Famer, “[AJ] said, ‘Dude, I have to. My neck is hurting too bad, I’m beat up, it’s time. I want to help the next generation.’”
Then last night, Styles appeared with Frankie Kazarian on Talk’n Shop Live! and addressed the speculation about WWE’s motives himself:
“Let me give you something to talk about. So, everybody wants to say, ‘Oh! WWE put him in the Hall of Fame so that he couldn’t go to AEW.’ Guys, I am retired from wrestling in the ring. Like, that’s all this is. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions. I was ready.”
The 48-year-old also revealed he hopes to follow in Shawn Michaels and Undertaker’s footsteps now that he’s retired:
“I am still going to be working with WWE. That’s not going to change. I have these dreams of helping out young talent. If somebody is not ready once they get there, it’s my job to hopefully help them get to that point to where they can do it, and they are confident when they step into a WWE ring. Being able to help with that is a blessing.”
Speculation will continue (and as long as you keep it in perspective, there’s nothing wrong with a little speculating). Some will take it too far, but hopefully you won’t be one of them when you share your take on this AJ Styles Hall of Fame/AEW story in the comments below.
