AJ Styles Reveals Why He Rejected WWE So His Wife Could Pursue Her Dream

AJ Styles arrived in WWE in 2016 after a career’s worth of matches outside of Vince McMahon’s company. That was not the first offer he received from WWE, but it was the first one he accepted.

During WWE Untold, AJ Styles revealed why he rejected WWE’s offer in 2001. He wrestled a couple of dark matches for the company after WCW closed, and they offered him an opportunity. AJ Styles turned it down so his wife could pursue her dream of becoming a teacher.

“I wanted to make sure that she was able to go after her dream. That was very important to me. Mine could come second, so I didn’t take the developmental with WWE in Cincinnati. Years later, it ended up leading me back to WWE at the perfect time.”

“My wife is brilliant, though I like to say she made a mistake in marrying me. She worked so hard to get to college and earn a scholarship, and her dream was becoming a teacher.”

AJ Styles’ time in WWE is still ongoing and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down right now. He just signed a new multi-year contract in 2019. He also confirmed that will be the last long contract he inks with WWE.