AJ Styles Reveals He Thought He Might Miss Tokyo Dome Classic Against Shinsuke Nakamura

AJ Styles delivered one of the most memorable matches of his career against Shinsuke Nakamura at the Tokyo Dome, but fans nearly didn’t see that match happen at all.

While speaking on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles revealed that he was dealing with a serious illness just days before traveling to Japan for the now-famous showdown. At the time, he was battling strep throat and feared he might not recover quickly enough to make the trip. Styles described how severe the illness became, explaining that he felt completely drained and unsure if he would be physically ready in time for one of the biggest matches of his career.

“It was fun man. Uh I I just got over strep throat like literally. I did I think I thought it was on death's door. I don't know if you've had strep throat as an adult, but it's terrible. Uh but I I remember this is a couple days after Christmas. I It was bad.”

After initially receiving treatment that didn’t help, Styles sought additional medical care and finally saw improvement just in time to board his flight to Japan.

“And I went to uh the doctor and got a shot that did nothing for for me as far as the strep throat goes. And then they gave me some oral medication. The next day I went to a different doctor and they gave me and literally it was like that. It cleared up. Uh and like and then like then 2 days later I was flying to Japan. Like I was worried that I wasn't going to make it.”

Everything ultimately worked out, and the match against Nakamura became one of the defining moments of Styles’ career. Fans still talk about that Tokyo Dome clash as one of the standout bouts of its era, making the behind-the-scenes struggle even more remarkable.

Knowing how close he came to missing the event adds another layer to an already legendary match — one that might never have happened if his recovery had taken just a little longer.

Does knowing AJ Styles almost missed that Tokyo Dome match change how you look at that classic against Nakamura? Drop your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation.