AJ Styles defended the decision for NARAKU — formerly EVIL in New Japan Pro Wrestling — to begin his WWE run in NXT rather than going straight to the main roster, speaking on his Phenomenally Retro Podcast.
“You know, Shinsuke Nakamura was also in NXT. I’m just throwing that out there,” Styles said. “I think there’s certain things that we all need to learn in NXT that will prepare us for the main roster. Even I had to learn quick.”
Styles pointed to production differences between WWE and New Japan as the reason the learning process matters. “We have to make sure that EVIL, as we’re gonna call him, doesn’t turn his back to the hard camera. That he knows where all of them are and how we film and produce. You don’t do that in Japan. There’s no producers in Japan because it doesn’t matter where the cameras are. They just shoot.”
On the same podcast, Styles reflected on the 2024 feud with Cody Rhodes, saying he knew going in he wasn’t going to win the title. “The pitch was for AJ Styles to wrestle Cody Rhodes,” he said. “I was like, ‘Well, freak. I just tried to get this character over being just a vicious heel, and I’m gonna have to lose if I’m wrestling Cody because we can’t flip flop the title. That’s not the way it’s gonna work.’ So it was nice being back in the main event on the PLEs and whatnot.”
NARAKU made his in-ring WWE debut on the May 12 episode of NXT, defeating Lince Dorado. He and IYO SKY announced their marriage this week.