AJ Styles Believes WWE Needs Working Relationship With Other Companies

The Phenomenal One wants WWE to work with IMPACT and others.

by Andrew Pollard
AJ Styles WWE Royal Rumble 2022
WWE.com

With WWE recently featuring current IMPACT Knockouts Champion Mickie James at this year's Royal Rumble premium live event, AJ Styles believes WWE needs to have a working relationship with IMPACT Wrestling and other promotions.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani for BT Sports (via Fightful), the Phenomenal One initially gave his thoughts on WWE and IMPACT continuing to work together.

"I would love to see it. I think it's a good thing. I'm afraid the door only opens one way. There is a lot of library on AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley and some of the other guys and girls. It wouldn't be a bad thing."

Styles added how he "wouldn't mind" heading to IMPACT to make an appearance or two down the line, before then discussing how WWE needs such working relationships.

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"We need to have a working relationship with other companies. As much as people want us to hate each other, we don't. We want to see people succeed. We want to see people do well. I do. Competition is a good thing. If they have a good show, I want to have a better show. I'm sure they feel the same way. There is nothing wrong with that, it just makes it better for everyone else who ever loved pro wrestling."

Whether WWE is willing to work with IMPACT or A.N. Other promotion moving forward remains to be seen, but IMPACT Wrestling itself is certainly a place where such relationships exist - as the Anthem outfit has worked with the likes of AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor in recent years.

As for AJ Styles, the two-time WWE Champion, two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time TNA World Champion and three-time NWA World Champion is one of the five men who will challenge for Bobby Lashley's WWE Title this Saturday at the Elimination Chamber PPV.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.