3 People AJ Styles wants to work with in WWE and 2 he does not

AJ Styles has cemented his status as one of the most talented in-ring performers of his generation. The two-time WWE Champion can have good matches with almost every opponent he steps into the ring with, from John Cena and Brock Lesnar to Shane McMahon and Jinder Mahal.

Since joining WWE in January 2016, AJ Styles has competed in over 600 matches for the company, including live events, and he has shared the ring with over 350 opponents during his two decades in the wrestling business.

While AJ Styles is among the most respected people in the WWE locker room, it is only normal that somebody as experienced as The Phenomenal One has not always gotten along with some of his co-workers.

In this article, let’s take a look at three people that AJ Styles wants to work with in WWE, as well as two people that he does not want to work with.

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#5 AJ Styles wants to work with The Undertaker

Like the rest of the WWE Universe, AJ Styles watched on as The Undertaker gave an out-of-character interview on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show on the WWE Network in November 2019.

The man behind the iconic WWE character, Mark Calaway, hinted during the interview that he would be interested in returning to the ring to compete in one more match.

At the time, AJ Styles did not know who he was going to face at WrestleMania 36, so he decided to get in touch with his WWE colleague to see if he wanted to go one-on-one with him in front of over 70,000 fans at Raymond James Stadium.

“It almost sounded like he was going to go one more match, or maybe two more, and I thought, ‘Well, if he’s going to do something, how can I be one of those matches if he’s going to do more than one? I just want to be one of them.’ I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to give it a shot. All he can say is no, it’s not a big deal.’” [Via Undertaker: The Last Ride]

AJ Styles pitched the idea directly to The Undertaker instead of Vince McMahon because he felt that there was no point trying to convince the WWE Chairman about a match that ‘Taker might reject.

In the end, The Deadman agreed to face AJ Styles in a regular match at WrestleMania 36. However, as WWE was unable to hold the event at Raymond James Stadium due to social distancing regulations, the first-time-ever encounter was changed to a Boneyard match in the weeks leading up to the show.

Despite The Undertaker seemingly calling time on his in-ring career, AJ Styles is open to facing the WWE legend one more time if he wants to return.

#4 AJ Styles does not want to work with Paul Heyman

Prior to 2020, it appeared as though AJ Styles and Paul Heyman were on good terms.

In 2017, Heyman even cut a passionate promo about The Phenomenal One’s in-ring ability following his performance against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series.

“If you’re not an AJ Styles fan, you shouldn’t even be watching WWE. He’s everything that Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart and Ric Flair were to their generation, and he’s updated it. He’s evolved their styles to truly be the single most phenomenal in-ring performer I have ever had the honor and the pleasure of watching up close.”

It was later revealed on AJ Styles’ WWE 365 documentary that, at the request of Heyman, the two-time WWE Champion watched the promo from just a few feet away.

Unfortunately, during Heyman’s stint as RAW Executive Director in 2019-2020, the relationship between the two men soured.

Speaking on his Twitch channel, AJ Styles called Heyman a “bold-faced liar” and accused him of being responsible for the releases of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.

AJ Styles also confirmed that he moved from RAW to SmackDown in May 2020 because he could no longer work with Heyman, who still had a role on the RAW creative team at the time.

“The reason I went to SmackDown is because I couldn't stand looking at Heyman. I just can't stand a liar. I am a grown man. Why lie about anything? He didn't have to say anything. I told myself, 'If and when an opportunity comes to move to SmackDown, I had to do it.'” [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

Shortly after AJ Styles moved to the blue brand, Heyman was replaced as RAW’s Executive Director by Bruce Prichard.

#3 AJ Styles wants to work with Edge

AJ Styles shared the ring with Edge when the WWE Hall of Famer competed in his first match in almost nine years at the 2020 Royal Rumble.

Sadly, the spot between the two men in the Royal Rumble did not go as anticipated. Edge hit his trademark spear on AJ Styles after being revealed as a surprise entrant, but the former United States Champion oversold the move and had to miss one month of in-ring action due to a shoulder injury.

AJ Styles, who clarified at the time that Edge was not to blame for the injury, said in a Twitch stream in August 2020 that he would like to have a one-on-one match with The Ultimate Opportunist in WWE one day.

“I've got to have a match with Edge before him and I both retire. I think that's something that we both want. I know he tore his triceps - hopefully speedy recovery for him. That's one that I want badly, and I think that he would like to have one as well with myself. It would be great. I'm still looking forward to it, Edge.”

Edge underwent triceps surgery after facing Randy Orton in the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ at WWE Backlash 2020, ruling him out for anywhere between four to eight months.

#2 AJ Styles does not want to work with CM Punk

Seth Rollins was among the Superstars who wanted to work with CM Punk in WWE after he was confirmed as an analyst on FS1 show WWE Backstage. AJ Styles, however, had no interest in going one-on-one with the man that he faced on 10 occasions at the start of their careers between 2002-2004.

It is unclear why AJ Styles and Punk have so much animosity, but the back-and-forth digs between the two men escalated in 2020 when The Best In The World wrote on Twitter that lots of people were “snitching on themselves” by not speaking up about the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.

When a Twitter user told Punk that AJ Styles had been promoting video gaming streams and not discussing ‘Black Lives Matter’, the former WWE Superstar took a cryptic shot at The Phenomenal One in a since-deleted tweet.

“Well. Come on. That one has been obvious for years.”

After initially responding by saying he has no respect for Punk, AJ Styles made it clear on another Twitch stream that he does not want to do business with the five-time WWE World Champion.

“I'm all about business and some people I don't think are capable of doing good business. It's that simple. He's not worth my time. This guy [CM Punk] just likes to get attention, even if it's bad.” (H/T Fightful)

AJ Styles and Punk last faced each other at IWC’s A Call To Arms 2 event in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania in December 2004.

#1 AJ Styles wants to work with Drew McIntyre

In June 2020, Drew McIntyre told Sportskeeda’s Rick Ucchino that he would like to defend his WWE Championship against AJ Styles if he could choose anybody from the WWE roster.

“I would move AJ right back [from SmackDown]. (laughs) I think I said it quite plainly that AJ and I have been like ships in the night for years.”

Ever since McIntyre returned to WWE’s main roster in 2018, he and AJ Styles have not had many opportunities to cross paths, either because they have both been bad guys or because they were assigned to different brands.

Speaking to BT Sport in July 2020, AJ Styles revealed that he is also keen on facing McIntyre in a first-time-ever televised match one day.

“Drew McIntyre would definitely be fun, it would be fun to get in the ring with someone like that, who understands who they are and understands what AJ Styles has got to do to beat someone like Drew McIntyre. It would definitely be different, it would be fun, too.” [H/T Wrestle Zone]

According to wrestling stats database cagematch.net, AJ Styles picked up the victory in his one and only singles match against McIntyre. The match took place in a dark segment after RAW in May 2019, so WWE fans have still never seen the long-awaited meeting between the two Superstars on television.