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AJ Styles didn't know whether or not he would be debuting in WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble one week before the event.
In the latest edition of WWE Untold, which recently premiered on the WWE Network, AJ Styles revealed the circumstances surrounding his highly-anticipated debut with the company hadn't yet been nailed down a week before the pay per view.
"I wasn't sure if I was going to be in the Rumble until a week before. I was joking around when I told, when I think I told Triple H like, yeah, I'll come out number two, and lo and behold, they come back because you're going three." H/T Transcription - Fightful.
As it turns out, AJ Styles had offered to enter at number two, which would have meant he would have begun the Royal Rumble with the reigning WWE Champion Roman Reigns.
However, as we all know, Styles would ultimately debut at number three to an explosive response from the crowd in attendance. His debut is widely-regarded as one of the greatest in WWE history.
Styles, who had mostly avoided WWE until this time in his career, was happy to be joining the company at a time when smaller guys were becoming more succesful.
"This was the perfect time for me to go to WWE because everything had changed. Daniel Bryan, who wasn't a big guy, who became a huge star. You could be a regular man and you can make it in the WWE if you're willing to bust your tail, find a way to get there."
AJ Styles discussed his contract with Triple H before his debut
As AJ Styles would recall, the specifics of his deal with WWE would be ironed out in a phone call with none other than Triple H himself:
"I say, hold on, my ego's not getting away. I'm just saying, if there's money there, I don't want to leave it on the table. He said, okay, let me talk to Paul, Triple H. I remember being in my hotel room for a Ring of Honor show and getting a call from Triple H and we had a great 30-minute conversation about WWE. My wife prayed for a certain amount. Triple H said this is what we're offering. I said done."
The Phenomenal One has since gone on to become a multiple-time WWE Champion and one of the biggest stars in the company.
