10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Feb 12)

9. AJ Styles Was Relieved WWE Didn't Send Him To NXT

AJ Styles received a rapturous reception when his new WWE music hit and he made his way to the ring at the 2016 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Fans were delighted to see him, although it's fair to imagine there were some more casual fans of the company who had never seen him wrestle before. That's a subject that was broached during AJ's recent appearance on Chris Jericho's podcast. Discussing the secrecy of his WWE debut, Styles also remarked that he was glad the company chose to install him to the main roster instead of sending him to NXT. Having wrestled since the 1990's, the 38 year old was apparently dreading being stuck in the developmental league, despite his respect for the system itself. There would have been some fan unrest had this happened too. Other former TNA stars such as James Storm and Samoa Joe were immediately posted to NXT, rather than getting the call to appear on Raw, Smackdown and main roster pay-per-view events. AJ Styles has skipped that entirely, he's very much part of the main touring crew. It appears this is something he's very thankful for.