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

2. AJ Styles Hated Being Called A "Rookie Redneck"

AJ Styles The Miz
WWE.com

Just over a full week after making his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, AJ Styles sat in as The Miz's guest on Miz TV. The skit's purpose was to introduce AJ to casual fans as similar to Daniel Bryan and have him stand up to an overbearing heel. That's when Miz, off the cuff, referred to Styles as a "rookie redneck".

Styles told IGN.com that he legit despised the name and worried it might stick. Early on in his WWE run, AJ worked hard to make sure nobody ever said it again during promos. He'd already been working for 16 years by that point, so didn't feel the tag made sense or would get over anyway. Besides, he wanted to make a splash, not be tarred as a nobody.

Look back to that period and you'll notice the name was rarely, if ever, said again. That was all AJ's doing. We can picture him strolling up to Miz backstage after their segment and politely asking him not to labour the point or paint him as a newcomer to wrestling.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.