AJ Styles Talks Dream Match Next Monday, Wrestle Kingdom 10, Titles Being Important To Him, Injury
Less than a week remains before New Japan's big Wrestle Kingdom 10 show, and one of the show's biggest headliners, AJ Styles, spoke with Wrestling Inc for an exclusive interview. During the interview, Styles spoke out about the importance of titles, and his huge dream match with Shinsuke Nakamura.
Styles takes on Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, a title which has drawn nearly even with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. With a main event of Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi that fans have seen on numerous occasions, Styles-Nakamura is a feature attraction on the show, as is the Intercontinental title.
"To me, he's made that belt as important as the IWGP Heavyweight Title. He's definitely respected over there and people love him. He's really done well making that belt very important," Styles told Wrestling Inc's own Raj Giri. "It'd be huge (to win the title). Another belt is never a bad thing, and I've never held an Intercontinental title. It would be a cool thing, I'm not going to lie to you."
Styles, a member of NJPW's notorious Bullet Club, recognizes the appeal of a first time match-up and says that New Japan did well ahead of time.
"I've wrestled against him in a tag match twice, never in a singles match, that's what makes this one so special. New Japan was smart enough to see this almost two years in the making. To me it's brilliantly done. Two guys who have never wrestled each other wrestling on the biggest stage," explained Styles.
If Styles were to win, it certainly wouldn't be the first time NJPW put a heap of faith in the Georgia native. Styles was the first American IWGP Heavyweight Champion since Brock Lesnar. Styles called it a huge honor to hold such a prestigious title in a company he loved.
"It's pretty awesome," said Styles. "To hold a belt for a company I love watching, that's a big deal to me. That's special, it may have not been to anybody else, I don't know. For me, to hold it twice, it's awesome. It shows how great NJPW is that they can put it on someone who they hope can put butts in the seats. I've had great matches with the belt and without it. It's a great accomplishment for me."
Styles also cleared up his injury status, claiming that he feels great and is ready for next week's big Wrestle Kingdom show.
Wrestling Inc will have full, live coverage of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 early Monday morning. Make sure to check back next week for more from our interview with Styles.