Subhojeet Mukherjee on April 24, 2026
AJ Styles may be done inside the ring, but his next chapter in WWE is already taking shape — and now he’s breaking down exactly how he evaluates new talent.
After stepping away from in-ring competition and moving into a scouting and mentoring position, Styles has now revealed the specific traits he’s targeting when evaluating talent — giving a clear look at how he plans to approach the job moving forward. Speaking on the Phenomenally Retro podcast on April 24, 2026, Styles made it clear that he’s treating scouting as a full-time commitment, not something he’s casually stepping into.
“If I want to do my job, I think to the best of my abilities, I’m going to have to go and scout this talent. And, of course, that’s going to take time. I want to be the best at that—I want to put forth my best effort in doing that. That’s going to have me gone sometimes, so I’m going to do that. This is what I want to do.”
He then explained what actually drives him in this role — and it’s not just finding talent, but helping develop it from the ground up. From there, Styles laid out the framework he’s currently using to judge potential, pointing to five core qualities he believes matter most in wrestling right now.
“It’s fun for me to see that and to see people grow and get the opportunity to give advice.”
I just have to figure out what the qualities are. I don’t know if there’s ever been attributes that we want everybody to have in wrestling, because there’s athletic ability, there’s charisma, there’s just wrestling alone, talking on the mic, and drive—that’s the five that I have as of right now. That might change.”
But here’s where his approach shifts — Styles says he’s not looking for the perfect, complete package. Instead, he’s focused on potential — finding talent with something to build on, rather than expecting everything to already be there.
“But in my head, I don’t need you to have all five. If you have all five, then just go straight to the main roster. And even guys on the main roster, including myself, I don’t think I had all five. I could do all five, but I don’t think I had a perfect 10 in all five. I think it’s very difficult, and I think most don’t.
“So to have some qualities that you can build on, that we can send to the performance center—and then we can improve your lowest one. If it’s mic work, we can work on that. Some charisma—we can give you the kind of gimmick where you can get some charisma through, because sometimes you don’t understand the character and you’re not feeling it—it just isn’t there.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also pointed out how much the right character can change everything for a performer — something he’s clearly factoring into how he evaluates talent.
“There have been many guys that have changed into a different character and you’re like, ‘Where’s this guy been?’ So I just think we need one or two of these qualities—and it doesn’t have to be a 10—but they have to do some of these well, at least.”
This lines up with what Triple H previously revealed about Styles’ transition — that after stepping away from wrestling, he tested out creative and producing roles before landing in a spot that actually fits what he enjoys. Now, with Styles spelling out exactly what he’s looking for, his new role feels locked in — and it’s all about spotting potential early and turning it into something bigger.
Do you think AJ Styles’ approach to scouting talent is the right move for WWE, or should they be focusing on more complete performers from the start? Let us know your thoughts.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
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