AJ Styles recently spoke with Donald Wood, Mike Chiari, and Brandon Galvin of Ring Rust Radio about possibly joining NXT and more. Here are the highlights.
On his interest in NXT and whether seeing some familiar faces booked well makes the decision easier:
I’m going to be honest with you guys: The thing that makes wrestling most interesting to me is going to be the business that occurs after the match is over. A lot of people frown on that and say money isn’t everything. Well, I say it depends on how much you have saved. My goal when I retire is to not be in a wheel chair or walk with a limp. Wherever I go, I will do my best, work harder than anybody there, and that’s just what I do. I only have one gear, and if someone is looking for that and I can support my family while doing it, then that is what I will do.
On making his career feel complete and whether a WWE is required in that equation:
It’s not, it really isn’t. I get to work in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th in front of thousands and thousands of people. That’s pretty awesome. I don’t know about you guys, but the first time I watched New Japan and saw them walk down that long ramp to the ring it was unbelievable. The fact that I get to do that, that is my wrestling moment. I wouldn’t say I would never go to WWE, but if it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t go, “Oh man, I missed out. I’m the one guy that missed out.”
You can listen to the interview here: