How Close AJ Styles Came to Facing Shawn Michaels in a Dream Match Revealed

 
AJ Styles has revealed just how close he was to securing a dream match against Shawn Michaels, shedding light on the speculation that surrounded this potential bout.

Ever since Styles joined WWE in 2016, fans have been clamoring for a match between him and HBK, despite Michaels having retired years prior.

The buzz reached a peak when a fan-made graphic for the 2017 Royal Rumble event suggested the possibility of this showdown.

In a conversation with Inside The Ropes, AJ Styles shared that he never personally approached Shawn Michaels about the match.

Reflecting on a discussion with the Undertaker regarding Michaels, Styles said:

“I remember walking up, it may have been Triple H or someone. I asked him, ‘Hey, does Shawn wanna have a match?’ And they’re like, ‘I don’t know.’ (I said) ‘But did we ask him?’ And they’re like ‘no.’ I never got around to asking him like I asked The Undertaker.

“I never got around to asking Shawn; we weren’t close enough for me to ask him something like that, I didn’t have his phone number, (we are) closer now. So I never called him out.

“But the truth is, he probably wouldn’t have that match anyway, because we’ve talked about it before. What is the benefit? Who benefits from the match? If Shawn wins, okay. If I win, okay. There’s a lot of truth to what he was saying when he told me that and it’s alright. It would have been fun to have but for me, it was about a learning experience.”

Shawn Michaels did come out of retirement for one night at Crown Jewel 2018, teaming with Triple H to defeat the Undertaker and Kane in a memorable match.

AJ Styles has now been announced for another dream crossover match, which you can read more about below.

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— Ben Kerin Jun 16, 2024 06:37PM