AJ Styles Clears the Air on Off-Air WWE RAW Promo About Being Pushed Out

AJ Styles had fans raising their eyebrows after a fiery off-air promo during the September 8 episode of WWE RAW. In the promo, he claimed someone in WWE didn’t want him around anymore—and now he’s finally explained what that was really about.

During an appearance on the No Contest Wrestling podcast, Styles was directly asked if his promo was part of a storyline or something more personal. His response confirmed what many suspected—there was an idea behind it, but it’s been dropped.

“It was something I was trying to set up that I don’t think is going to happen anymore. It’s not necessarily untrue, but I’m not talking about Triple H. I just want to make that clear. That’s really all I can say about it, guys.”

The original off-air promo gave fans a rare glimpse into Styles’ frustration as he questioned whether someone in the company was trying to sabotage his momentum.

“For the first time in my career, I’ve got no one watching my back. Gallows, Anderson, they’re not here. Michin, she’s on SmackDown. It’s like someone orchestrated a way for me not to win anymore, not to have help. I’ll let you make your own conclusions.”

Then came the part that really got people talking.

“By the way, we are here right now and all over the world, but to everybody, it’s a commercial break. I’m telling you something that you’re probably not supposed to hear, but somebody doesn’t want me here.”

At the time, fans and insiders speculated that Styles was planting the seeds for a new storyline. But now it’s clear—whatever angle he was trying to build has been shelved. With his retirement looming in 2026, Styles appears to be shifting focus to his final run in WWE.

Whether this angle was squashed internally or just ran out of steam is anyone’s guess, but Styles made it clear that Triple H wasn’t the target—something many fans had wondered after the promo aired.

With retirement on the horizon, do you think WWE missed the boat on a deeper story for AJ Styles? Or was it better left behind the curtain? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know what you think.

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