Throughout his storied career, AJ Styles has cemented his place among the best WWE superstars of the modern era. However, Road Dogg has claimed that, without him singing his praises to Vince McMahon, Styles may not have reached the pinnacle of the company.
Since 2016, ”The Phenomenal One’ has captivated audiences with his astounding ability off the ropes and his charisma on the mic. Having won two world titles, the 45-year-old has become one of the faces of the company, and he doesn’t look like relenting anytime soon.
However, his popularity among hardcore fans started long before he signed with the company. Styles made a huge name for himself in Asia through his performances in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In addition, he left crowds in awe with his electric showings in TNA.
He made such an impression, that even the most casual of fans desperately wanted to see him in the WWE. And when he made his debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, the 15,170-strong crowd gave him an almighty pop.
But despite his evident talent, it reportedly took the backing of Road Dogg for him to get the opportunities he deserved.
WWE legend Road Dogg says Vince McMahon wasn’t completely convinced by AJ Styles push
Bearing in mind he’s created the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet, it comes as a surprise that McMahon didn’t see the potential in the wrestling legend at first.
But when you’re looking at that many performers, we suppose it’s possible that some might fall through the cracks. However, it seems as though it took some convincing for him to push Styles.
On his podcast at AdFreeShows.com, Road Dogg explained his disputes with the former WWE chairman, Vince McMahon.
As per WrestlingNews.co, the icon said: “He didn’t know who AJ was, and he didn’t know what he was capable of, and I did. Me pitching him in that way just made him dig in deeper, so we had some serious arguments over AJ Styles.”
As it turns out, the former D-Generation-X member knew exactly what he was talking about – and McMahon is probably very glad he did.
Road Dogg added that once McMahon knew all about Styles, he realised what a huge talent he was. Subsequently, Styles went on to achieve huge success in WWE – and recently stated he had a “great relationship” with the ex-WWE chairman.
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