AJ Styles On Why WWE Finally Signed Him, If He Was Kept In The Dark With The Draft
WWE's AJ Styles took part in the WWE panel for Mattel at the San Diego Comic Con. Styles talked about why he is with WWE today as well as WWE's recent brand extension.
When asked why he is with WWE now, 'The Phenomenal One' joked, "because now they decided to hire me!" before claiming that he managed to capitalize on WWE's injury problems.
"Timing is everything. Timing is everything. I had to go, I'll say it, I had to go to TNA, to go to Japan, to get here. That's okay with me. Listen, I learned a lot in Japan, and, honestly, there were a lot of guys hurt at the time that I made my arrival to WWE. Like I said, timing is everything. I think maybe they needed a little bit of help. The fact of the matter is, I don't think they had an idea of where I would be [on the depth chart]. As far as I know, I was a middle card guy at best. But then again, I'm kind of like The New Day here. The cream will rise to the top. I will take advantage of every opportunity and I will make my way to the world heavyweight title."
With respect to the recent draft, Styles indicated that the performers were kept in the dark as much as the fans.
"We were in the dark as much as you were when it came to the draft, so it was an honor to go in the first round with SmackDown and going live just shows that we've got something to prove, man. And we want to be right up there with RAW. We've got to keep up with [The New Day], so when SmackDown comes live, get ready, because we're going to put it on there. We're going to do a great job and blow your mind. That's what we're going to do."
You can watch the panel in the video above. If you use any of the quotes that appear in this article, please give an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.