AJ Styles recently spoke with Nick Schwartz for USA Today’s For The Win; you can read a few highlights below:
Styles comments on how Shinsuke Nakamura has evolved since their last match:
Experience is everything. The first time I met Shinsuke, he was totally, 100 percent different than the guy you see in the ring today – in an absolutely perfect way. This guy has evolved his character and who he is and has become one of the greatest Japanese superstars ever. That’s why he’s fighting for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Styles comments on keeping the match fresh since they’ve been in WWE:
You know what’s great about that is the same thing happened in Japan, and the same thing’s happening here in WWE. That’s a good thing. There are matches that you can have over and over and over again and people will love it, but there are some matches that you wish you had and you never got the opportunity to see it – this is it.
This is the match I think a lot of people wanted to see, and I think we proved that at Money In The Bank. The build-up just to that moment was great… The opportunity to do it at WrestleMania is perfect, and the fact that we haven’t touched in a one-on-one competition? Perfect.
Styles comments on walking into this year’s Wrestlemania as WWE Champion, if he would have believed it ten years ago:
Wow, I wouldn’t have believed them, that’s for sure. I think there was a moment in my career where I just thought ‘well, the whole WrestleMania thing’s never going to happen for me. I get it and I understand it, I’ll move on.’ Now the opportunity to have two under my belt. I never would have believed it, especially going into WrestleMania as WWE Champion.