AJ Styles has opened up about the long-discussed dream match with Shawn Michaels.
Speaking on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles reflected on how the timing of their careers ultimately prevented it from ever happening. Styles joined WWE at a time when Michaels had already been retired for several years, making the matchup impossible during their overlapping WWE eras.
“I don’t know how much older Shawn is than me, but if it ever happened, you know, I would have been in my 40s probably. So, let’s say, again, I don’t know how much older Shawn is than me, but I got—like who wins? Who does it benefit?”
Styles said the opportunity itself would have mattered more than the result.
“I would have taken the pin all day long to be able to be in the ring with Shawn Michaels. I don’t care. Because it wasn’t about that for me. It was about being in there and going, ‘Wow.'”
AJ Styles On ‘What If’ Scenario With The Undertaker
Styles also spoke about missed dream opportunities in general, noting that arriving in WWE earlier in his career could have opened the door to different high-profile matchups, specifically referencing The Undertaker as one of those possibilities he missed out on.
“And just kind of the same thing with The Undertaker. It’s like, ‘Man, the matches that we could have had had I just gotten here sooner.’ You know what I’m saying? Because the timing… I don’t know the way you gel together.”
Even though the Michaels dream match never materialized, Styles said he believes he understands him better after conversations and time spent at the WWE Performance Center.
“There’s some things that I have shared with him that I would never share with anybody else ever. And you’ll never know about it, but there’s something about some of the things he says and like, ‘Yeah, I understand that.’ You know, maybe not a lot of people would.”
Styles and Michaels have discussed the dream match publicly in the past
AJ Styles and Shawn Michaels have talked about it before, including during an episode of WWE Table For 3. Styles said that when he heard Michaels would be joining the WWE Performance Center as a coach, it made him wonder if Michaels might want to wrestle.
AJ asked around and put out a fan-made image to generate buzz, which Michaels praised him for. Michaels said that the potential match was serious enough that Vince McMahon asked him about returning for a certain opponent, but the match never happened.
More recently, AJ Styles told The Undertaker that he tried to make the match happen. However, WWE told him no. At the time, he simply asked if he could approach Michaels about it. Despite that, Styles noted that although he wasn’t sure anyone had directly asked him, the answer probably would have been no.
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