AJ Styles has finally addressed one of the biggest rumors surrounding his WWE Crown Jewel match with John Cena—and according to him, fans got the story completely wrong.
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Styles was asked if Cena really called the entire match on the fly. His answer came without any hesitation, explaining that the match had already been planned before either man walked through the curtain.
“No. That’s wrong. That’s not true. No, not at all.”
Styles explained that the match had already been planned before they ever walked through Gorilla Position. The only last-minute change came when Cena told him he wanted to call the opening sequence himself.
“We had something called for the beginning, and as we’re about to walk out at Gorilla, he goes, ‘Hey, I’m just going to call that beginning.’ I was like, ‘Okay, I trust you.’ That was it. So he called the beginning.”
This comes after what many fans consider one of the best matches of Cena’s farewell tour. The bout was packed with callbacks to both men’s careers, including tributes through signature moves made famous by some of their biggest rivals and closest friends. AJ Styles paid homage with moves associated with Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian, while Cena pulled out finishers linked to names such as The Miz, The Undertaker and Rusev.
Although Cena ultimately picked up the win before embracing Styles after the match, one question lingered in the weeks that followed: just how much of what fans saw had been improvised? Styles’ answer leaves little room for debate. Cena took over the opening moments just before they walked out, but the match itself wasn’t created on the fly.
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