10 Must-see, rare photos of AJ Styles

#8 The TRUE WWE debut

A lot of today's younger fans may not realise this, but the Royal Rumble wasn't the first time AJ Styles saw action in a WWE ring. Styles’ first match came against Hurricane Helms, on an old WWF show called "WWF Metal," back in 2002.

While the five-minute contest was mildly entertaining and slightly competitive, The Hurricane came out on top, handing AJ the loss. It's important to note, this match took place way before AJ was even remotely "phenomenal."

About the author

Jonathan Carpenter is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda. After obtaining a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, he started writing WWE articles in 2016. Jonathan believes integrity is vital in journalism and ensures his work is high on accuracy. He conducts in-depth research and verifies information from various sources before curating a feature.

Jonathan has engaged in many meaningful conversations with prominent pro wrestling personalities like Drew McIntyre and DDP. He grew up in Memphis, admiring Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan during WWE’s Golden Era in the ‘80s. He has attended many pro wrestling events and credits The Hulkster for making his childhood memorable.

Jonathan, a big fan of Bray Wyatt, would like to see the latter's brother, Bo Dallas, continue his legacy as Uncle Howdy. If he were to work on the storyline, Jonathan would book the return of Erick Rowan as Howdy’s muscle. He thinks it would be a great way to honor the former Universal Champion.

When not writing pro wrestling features, Jonathan likes to collect sports memorabilia and has amassed a large collection of event-used and autographed relics over the years.

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Edited by Staff Editor