AJ Styles Admits He Lived With One Major Fear Throughout His WWE Career

A conversation about Sheamus unexpectedly turned into one of AJ Styles’ most personal admissions yet.

While discussing reports that Sheamus will be leaving WWE on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles said he’s confident his longtime friend will land on his feet no matter what happens. He praised Sheamus for staying in incredible shape and suggested that, if the reports are true, the situation could end up becoming the motivation he never knew he needed.

“Maybe they’re just tricking you. Maybe he’s never going to leave. Well, we don’t believe anything anymore. But the fact of the matter is, Sheamus, or Stephen, whatever we’re going to be able to call him, he’s gonna be fine. He’s a smart guy, right? He’s in great shape right now. I don’t know if you’ve seen the pictures, like, holy cow, looks awesome. Sometimes, getting that motivation, when you get that chip back on your shoulder, I get it. And maybe this is what he needed. Not something he wanted.”

That conversation then took an unexpected turn. Instead of continuing to talk about Sheamus, Styles admitted the reports struck a nerve because they reminded him of the fear he carried throughout his own WWE run. Despite everything he accomplished after arriving in the company, Styles revealed he never stopped worrying that one day WWE would decide they no longer needed him.

“My biggest fear was that I would be asked… well, I would be released in some way. And other people think, ‘You’re AJ Styles. Why would you even think that way?’ Because I don’t see myself the way that you see me.”

Styles explained that being released wouldn’t have just meant losing his job. To him, it would have felt like proof that he wasn’t good enough to stay in WWE, and that’s a thought he could never completely shake.

“And so that was always my biggest fear, is they would release me. And for me, that would be… I’d be embarrassed, that being like, ‘Oh, he’s not good enough at his job, so he’s worth losing.'”

What makes the admission even more surprising is that Styles was talking about a career that included multiple world championships, WrestleMania main-event level matches and a Hall of Fame résumé. Yet none of those accomplishments ever completely erased the doubt he had about his own place in the company.

“So, I was always worried about that because I don’t know. Even as good as the career went, there was the time where I wasn’t doing much at all with anything. So, yeah, I mean, I get it.”

For fans, it’s a rare look at how even one of WWE’s most accomplished stars viewed his career behind the scenes. While the outside world saw AJ Styles as one of the company’s biggest names, Styles says he was constantly wondering whether one phone call could bring it all to an end.

Do AJ Styles’ comments surprise you, or do you think every WWE superstar lives with that same fear? Let us know in the comments below.

This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.