20-year veteran says AJ Styles joined WWE because of him

A 20-year veteran has claimed that AJ Styles joined WWE because of him. The Phenomenal One has been with the sports entertainment juggernaut since 2016 and has enjoyed great success with the promotion.

Having spent most of his wrestling career in TNA, Styles has been able to establish himself as a top star in the company. However, New Day member Xavier Woods has claimed that if it weren't for him, AJ Styles wouldn't have been in WWE.

During an appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Woods talked about his Consequences Creed character from TNA. He mentioned when he would bring the character back, and then brought up his impact after finding success in WWE as a TNA talent.

"When you really go back and look through the history books, I am the first homegrown TNA talent to find true success in WWE. When you break that down, that means that I am the one who washed the stink off of TNA and made it acceptable for us to cross over to WWE. That is why AJ Styles is now here. That's why Petey Williams has a job here. Robert Roode has a job here. That's why Samoa Joe got to come here for a little while," he claimed.

When scripted fights get too real - Watch Here!

Xavier Woods began his wrestling career in 2005 and had a run in the NWA before joining TNA in 2007. He also had a stint in NJPW and eventually joined WWE in 2010. Since then, he has become one of the decorated stars in the promotion.

Woods said that without him coming to WWE and finding success, "none of them would be here."

"People want to say, 'Oh, AJ Styles.' Yes, AJ is very good. He's incredible. One of the best. He's one of the reasons that I got into TNA in the first place, but I still did this first. I'm still the one. I'm still the man. And so, we're going to acknowledge that first and foremost," he mentioned.

You can watch the interview below:

AJ Styles looks set to continue his feud with Dominik Mysterio

This week on RAW, AJ Styles faced Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship in Paris. As he was closing in on a win, interference by El Grande Americano allowed Dirty Dom to pick up the win and retain his Title.

Having already beaten Styles at SummerSlam, Dominik would have been hoping that his feud was done. However, a report from PWInsider suggests that is not the case.

The report notes that the rivalry between Dirty Dom and AJ Styles is set to continue in the coming weeks.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit Battleground Podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

Know More

These wrestling matches are not 'fake' at all - Watch!

Edited by Sherjeel Malik