AJ Styles On Ryback’s Claim That Vince McMahon Wanted Ryback To Squash Him

WWE World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles recently spoke to Sports Illustrated to talk about WWE 2K17 and more. You can check out the full interview here along with some highlights below.

A possible match against Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble: “I would love the opportunity to wrestle him. I’d love to learn from him, but who’s to say if that’s going to happen. Right now, it’s all speculation and rumors that I’m finding out like everyone else is, but man, what a match that would be.”

Ryback claiming Vince McMahon wanted Ryback to squash Styles at WrestleMania: “I think what Ryback said may have been true at that time. I don’t know that Vince knew exactly what he had in AJ Styles, and I think his opinion of me changed somewhat quickly. That’s OK, I’ve been doing that my whole life—changing people’s opinion of me and what I’m capable of. I’m not mad at Ryback. If it was said, it was said, and I’m not mad at Vince McMahon. Opinions vary, and they change.”

Getting split up from The Club: “It was actually very surprising, and a little bit painful, to see those guys go to Raw as I went to Smackdown. We were in Japan for almost two years together, and when we got to WWE, we were riding together. Those guys were more than just my friends—they are my family. To have them go elsewhere was a little heartbreaking, but at the same time it gives them the opportunity to go off, on their own, and do what they do—get interview time as them, and AJ Styles gets his on Smackdown. It’s worked really great for Gallows, Anderson, and myself.”