AJ Styles On Part-Timers Main Eventing WrestleMania 33
Where does "The Phenomenal One" stand on one of wrestling's most polarizing debates?
One of the most hotly debated subjects within the wrestling community is the controversial use of "part-timers" - high profile stars, usually from a past era who work a much more limited schedule compared to their peers - being granted the coveted main event spots on WWE's biggest shows, particularly WrestleMania.
Many fans feel it's unfair to the men and women who grind away on the road 300 nights a year to have to step aside and watch as their less active co-workers swoop in and soak up all the glory, while others take feelings out of the debate and recognize that it's simply good business sense to have your biggest draws headline.
This isn't a new trend as the organization's inability to create modern stars on the same level as those that came before them has caused their reliance on men such as Brock Lesnar, Sting, Triple H, The Undertaker and Goldberg to pull in the big ratings.
The counter to that philosophy is the current generation of talent will never be equal to their predecessors if they aren't pushed as such. Main eventing WrestleManias - and especially coming out on top - is one of the most effective ways to help accomplish that.
AJ Styles, the man who has inadvertently become the centerpiece of this entire debate after a year filled with nothing but amazing performances led to a WrestleMania 33 "demotion" - against a part-timer, no less - shared his thoughts on the matter.
In an interview with The Gorilla Position podcast, "The Phenomenal One" conveyed his point of view:
"I can tell you this: Goldberg, and what him and Brock have done together, have made sure that people are going to come and watch WrestleMania. They want to see this match, and if they have to come see them they also have to come to see me. And now I have the opportunity to impress them while they're there and I'll make AJ fans and Shane McMahon fans out of them. That's my job, so am I mad at these guys for being superstars that everybody knows? Absolutely not. Let them be part-timers. If they can do that, then they have earned it and to tell you the truth, when they're not here that's more money in my pocket. So that's not a bad thing, you know? Let's work together.
AdvertisementI don't care who's on top, just as long as we're all able to pay our bills."