Action Andretti Dishes On His Wrestling Influences, Who He Was A Fan Of As A Kid

As he grew up watching WWE, Action Andretti developed a special affinity for many of the stars of the company's blue brand. Labeling the younger version of himself as a "very big 'SmackDown' guy," Andretti revealed two former World Champions particularly drew his interest. "I watched a lot of Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio. Those two were huge for me," the 24-year-old told Denise Salcedo. Captivated by their high-flying in-ring styles, Andretti quickly connected with Mysterio and Hardy. "Those are my guys right there. I would always have all their merchandise on and stuff."

In addition to Mysterio and Hardy, Andretti said he was a big fan of 16-Time World Champion John Cena and two WWE Hall of Famers as well — The Undertaker and Batista. When Salcedo mentioned that Andretti's in-ring performances reminded her of AJ Styles, the 24-year-old said the comparison to the "Phenomenal One" was "very honoring" to him. "I definitely did watch a lot of early AJ Styles and even his work today. He's been doing it for so long, [and] he's definitely one of the best to get in that ring," Andretti said.

Though his childhood is far behind him now, Andretti continues to embody the spirit of those he admired growing up. In December, Andretti shocked the world when he secured a win over Chris Jericho in his "AEW Dynamite" debut. Since then, Andretti has remained undefeated on "Dark" and earned some more opportunities to build his resume, with his most recent appearance stemming from the Face Of The Revolution Ladder match on the March 1 edition of "Dynamite."