AJ Styles says he pitched matches with other WWE legends before the Boneyard match against The Undertaker came together.
The main event of WrestleMania 36 Night One in 2020 featured the Boneyard match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles. Originally scheduled to be a regular contest, it was changed to a cinematic-style bout after the event had to be held in an empty Performance Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AJ Styles originally pitched to face Triple H and Shawn Michaels
Speaking on his Phenomenally Retro Podcast, AJ Styles revealed that he felt jealous seeing CM Punk wrestle many legends in his first WWE run and wanted the same opportunity. So he pitched matches against Triple H and Shawn Michaels before eventually convincing The Undertaker (with some help from his wife Michelle McCool) to face him at WrestleMania 36.
“I wanted to be able to say, ‘I wrestled this guy,'” AJ Styles said. “I was so jealous. [CM] Punk was able to wrestle so many great guys, right? And I was jealous of that opportunity that he was able to get. So, I wanted to wrestle Triple H. That never happened. So, I’m pitching, ‘Hey, does Shawn [Michaels] want to wrestle?’ ‘No. Anybody?’ And then…me and the Undertaker got to be friends outside of wrestling. So, I was able to weasel my way in there and hopefully convince him, with the help of Michelle, to have another match with me.” [H/T WrestlingInc]
The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in the Boneyard match, and The Phenomenal One remains the final opponent in the Deadman’s legendary career. He also competed against The Undertaker in his last regular bout at Super ShowDown 2020 in Saudi Arabia, where the Phenom entered as the last contestant and pinned him to win the Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet match.
The Undertaker was also the one to announce AJ Styles’ Hall of Fame induction earlier this year.
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