AJ Styles recently discussed his stint with New Japan Pro Wrestling in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
After leaving TNA in 2014, Styles spent two years in NJPW before making his WWE debut at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2016.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On becoming IWGP Heavyweight Champion in his first match: “The creative changed everything for me. If I were bringing somebody over to be in my company, the last thing I would do is have them win the heavyweight championship as soon as they got there. But that’s what they did. And it worked. It put me on the map immediately.”
On his run in the company: “New Japan was getting hot, real hot, and that’s when I got there. I got to be in the ring with incredible talent like Shinsuke, Okada, and Tanahashi. Those guys, they’re big time. And there were no handcuffs. Whatever I wanted to say or do, I could.”
