AJ Styles: Opportunity to learn from Shawn Michaels would have been ‘priceless’
AJ Styles discussed never getting the chance to wrestle Shawn Michaels during a recent interview.
WWE previously approached Michaels about potentially wrestling Styles at WrestleMania 33, but Michaels turned the offer down, saying he wished Styles had been with the company 10 years earlier. During a recent interview with Justin Barrasso of The Undisputed, Styles said the opportunity to have learned from Michaels would have been “priceless.”
“The thing that I regret the most about not being able to get in the ring with Shawn Michaels is the opportunity to learn from him,” said Styles. “That would have been priceless.”
“It just wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully we’ll get the opportunity to work together in some capacity, whether it’s developing talent or just helping the brand get better altogether.”
It was noted in the article that Styles is considering a role with WWE helping to develop talent at the Performance Center following the end of his in-ring career in 2026. Such a role would have him working alongside Michaels at the Performance Center. Styles said that if that were to happen, perhaps he and Michaels would finally get to wrestle each other, albeit behind closed doors.
He continued:
“One day we might be rolling around with no one watching it. That would be enough for me.”
The full interview with Styles is available on Barrasso’s Undisputed Substack.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.