https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtEKe2YWOKg After AJ Styles recently left TNA, many speculated that he might sign with the WWE as they'd surely want to get their hands on such a talent. As is the case with most notable independent wrestlers, he was already involved with the company for a brief period, as he wrestled a number of matches for the WWE going as far back as early 2002. He wasn't signed to developmental, presumably he was brought in as a local talent for the dark match. In this match from the 22nd of January, 2002, a young AJ Styles faces off against Rico Constantino, who many of you may remember as the homosexual stylist of Billy and Chuck. The match shows a lot of raw talent from both men, while that's to be expected from AJ, Rico also showed off a lot of potential that would ultimately be wasted in his WWE run. While most dark matches elicit a very dull crowd reaction, this one actually seemed to excite fans, particularly with Style's use of aerial maneuvers. After the match, Rico would debut a few months later and have a mediocre WWE run lasting a few years, while AJ Styles would go on to face The Hurricane on the b-show known as WWF Jakked four days later. He was then offered a developmental contract which he turned down because he didn't want to relocate.
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