AJ Styles will challenge undisputed WWE world champion Cody Rhodes this weekend in Scotland in an “I Quit” match that could resolve their growing feud.
But in the eyes of many, it’s time for Styles to return to the big matches.
Styles, who just turned 47, has spent the last few years of his career injured or working away from the world title. Before that, he was on a team with Omos.
But when he first joined WWE in 2016, he instantly won over fans with his performances in the main event scene that led to a pair of WWE title runs.
El Fenomenal talks more and more about hanging up his boots, but for now he is enjoying another race for the industry’s top prize.
AJ Styles has been saying for some time that he is in the final stretch of his career, but he is still at the highest level
“Listen, you can’t always be on top and sometimes you have to wait your turn,” Styles told Mail Sport.
‘I waited long enough and now is the time to be where I am and do what I do. They have had incredible games and one of them was in Lyon, France. Tomorrow night (Saturday) will be Clash in the Castle.
To get Rhodes to agree to this rematch, Styles faked his retirement on SmackDown a couple of weeks ago and attacked the champion, a la Mark Henry against John Cena in 2013.
‘It’s not like I’m never going to retire! I will retire one day! But not when Cody thought he was going to retire me.
‘Listen, I had to get a match with Cody again. Nick Aldis wasn’t going to give me a fight, and I knew the only way to do that was to beat him senseless, make him look like a complete idiot, because everyone seemed to think they knew what was coming, but Cody was embarrassed.
Did Henry applaud Styles’ ode to him?
‘We may have talked a little. You may have applauded my actions and the way they were done. In fact, he got a lot more credit than he should have,” Styles said with a smile.
Styles had the honor of having The Undertaker’s last match with his loss at WrestleMania 36 four years ago.
He also tried to bring Shawn Michaels out of retirement for a match and also went after Triple H. Although he was unsuccessful both times, he did get Edge at WrestleMania, but who else will he be able to face?
‘I mean, who’s left? The Rock is here,’ Styles reflected.
“In my head, and I could be wrong, but having his last match, I think with Cody there’s nothing bigger than that. If it were me, that would be my last match.
“If I were as involved as he is in Hollywood, I doubt I’d have time.” There are others there. There is still John Cena out there doing his thing.
“These guys are so busy with Hollywood that I can’t imagine they have enough time for WrestleMania. I know it’s sad to say because they are fighters at heart, but at the same time I understand it.”
Styles already has a long and famous history with Cena. The pair made magic together between 2016 and 2017, a time when they had arguably WWE’s best style match at the Royal Rumble.
Cena defeated Styles in an all-time classic at the 2017 Royal Rumble
Styles agrees with that idea and his pride shines as soon as we mention it.
“What people don’t realize is that we never leave the ring,” Style begins. “We knew there would be a couple of matches where we would leave the ring, so we just stayed there.
‘Until you see it again, you don’t realize ‘Holy shit!’ They never went to the ground! They never did things on the field; we kept it all in the ring. For me, today, that is difficult to do.”
LA Knight was lucky enough to work with Styles at WrestleMania this year, but Styles fought Edge at the 38th edition of the event in Dallas.
Styles wishes Edge hadn’t turned heel during his dream match in 2022
That was the day Judgment Day began to form as Damien Priest got involved in the finish before Rhea Ripley did the same as the rematch concluded.
Given the major story developments, did that take anything away from the dream match Styles was hoping for?
“It was a dream fight, but in the wrong context of what should have been done,” Styles insisted. ‘Edge should never have been a heel. He wasn’t a guy you considered bad.
‘That’s the only thing I would have changed. Otherwise we had fun, but it was a different dynamic.”
Clash at the Castle: Scotland airs live from Hydro Glasgow, Saturday June 15, tune in on WWE Network and TNT Sports Box Office.