“It Changed Everything”- AJ Styles on the Best match of his Career

Many Superstars may come and go in the WWE, but you’ll never see the perfect blend of experience and age as you will in AJ Styles. The former TNA Superstar has made his way to being one of the best names in WWE.

In a recent interview with WWE’s The Bump, Styles talked about what he regards as the best match in his career – the one against John Cena at SummerSlam 2016.

Igniting a feud against Cena by turning heel, Styles met him at SummerSlam to settle things.  The match was beyond epic and received a lot of positive fan reviews. It was a pinnacle of a wrestling match.

“Like I’ve said, the chemistry that we have is unbelievable so what you don’t know about that match at Royal Rumble (2017) is ‘cause that one at SummerSlam was totally different, ‘cause we never went outside the ring at the Royal Rumble match,” says Styles. “We never on to the floor which is different than most matches you know.”

“So I’m really proud of that, here’s a lot of things to be proud of about these matches and that was one of them.”

AJ Styles and John Cena worked together perfectly

AJ Styles vs John Cena was the dream match that lived exactly up to the fans’ imagination. The clash of the two veterans and absolute best in the business was in a word – exemplary. 

“That match in 2016 against John Cena was a game-changer for me. It changed everything,” acknowledges Styles. “And if people were downplaying it, they’re saying it wasn’t that great then maybe they weren’t watching the same match as everybody else was. I thought it was great.”

“The Phenomenal One” would go on to win the match after a thumping Phenomenal Forearm. The crowd pop was huge, and it was clear that the people were more than satisfied with the match. 

“Everything about it- the atmosphere, the fans were amazing, I think it was a match not a lot of people thought they’d see including myself,” admits Styles. “To be able to compete against John Cena in a WWE ring at one of the bigger pay per views of the year was unbelievable. I felt… easily one of the best matches I’ve had in my career.”

John Cena would eventually go on to beat AJ Styles at Royal Rumble 2017, ending the feud. However, the glorious match at SummerSlam 2016 will always be an example of the perfect wrestling match, and AJ Styles can testify to that.