AJ Styles may be stepping away from the punishment that comes with wrestling, but Paul London thinks there’s absolutely no reason for him to stop collecting checks from WWE. In fact, London’s advice for Styles was pretty simple — keep taking WWE’s money while keeping his body out of harm’s way.
While appearing on the Rewind Recap Relive and Vaughn Vertigo podcast, London reflected on his history with Styles. The two knew each other going back to their early careers, with London first crossing paths with Styles during WCW before they became much closer while traveling to Japan together. London said he and Styles clicked despite having their differences outside the ring, and he made it clear he has a ton of respect for what Styles accomplished during his career.
When London was asked whether Styles retiring surprised him, the former WWE star didn’t hesitate. He said Styles was smart enough to know when it was time to walk away and has put himself in a position where he can enjoy life with his family instead of continuing to destroy his body.
“I’m not surprised. He’s not an idiot. I mean, he’s smart and he’s a man of morals and dignity, and he’s made enough — I would hope, I imagine he’s made enough money — that he’s got a plan. And, you know, if he doesn’t, I know his Jesus does.”
London then explained why he was happy to see Styles getting out while he could still enjoy life after wrestling. For him, being able to leave the ring without being physically destroyed is about as good of an ending as a wrestler can ask for.
“I’m happy for him. He’s not brain dead. He’s not crippled in the sense that he can live a life with his family and kids, and like, who wouldn’t want that?”
The conversation then turned to Styles still being around WWE even after wrapping up his in-ring career. The interviewer mentioned seeing Styles backstage at WrestleCon and said he believed Styles was doing scouting work for WWE. London immediately approved of that arrangement and advised Styles to keep taking WWE’s money while avoiding any additional damage to his body.
“Even better. Yeah. Keep taking their money and do no harm on his body. Yeah, that’s good.”
That’s certainly one way for Styles to have the best of both worlds. After spending decades taking bumps around the world and building a Hall of Fame-level career, staying involved with WWE without having to put his body on the line could give him a completely different role in the business while the checks keep coming.
Styles has actually been doing exactly that since retiring from the ring. The former WWE Champion has spent time at the WWE Performance Center working directly with younger talent and taking on coaching responsibilities. Styles recently explained that he has been temporarily filling in for a Performance Center coach who underwent knee surgery, giving him the opportunity to work hands-on with WWE’s next generation.
Styles has made it clear that he enjoys the coaching side of the business and wants to help younger wrestlers understand the smaller details that can make them better performers. His work at the Performance Center has included training talent, helping produce matches and sharing knowledge from a career that took him through virtually every major level of professional wrestling. Lexis King has also revealed that Styles has worked with him as a personal one-on-one coach at the Performance Center.
Styles has already given wrestling fans years of punishment, insane matches and memorable moments. If WWE still wants him around behind the scenes, London clearly sees no reason why Styles shouldn’t take advantage of it and keep getting paid without adding more mileage to his body.
Do you think AJ Styles should stay with WWE in a backstage role and keep collecting a paycheck now that his in-ring career is over? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
