What’s the story?
WWE Champion AJ Styles recently had an interview with Fox Sports where he was asked if he has undergone an opinion change about John Cena and who he thinks should win the 2017 Royal Rumble this Sunday.
In case you didn’t know…
The ongoing feud between Styles and Cena started off way back in May last year after the latter was attacked on his return by ‘The Phenomenal One’ and his former Bullet Club mates, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Following this, they faced off at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view and also at SummerSlam with AJ Styles winning on both occasions.
Before ‘The Cenation Leader’ took a brief hiatus from the WWE in October last year, he and ‘The Champ That Runs The Camp’ were involved in a triple threat match alongside Dean Ambrose, where Styles retained his title by pinning Cena. On the final episode of SmackDown last year, John Cena made his return to action and challenged AJ Styles to a WWE championship match at the Royal Rumble.
The heart of the matter
Speaking about John Cena, Styles asserted that although he may have been a part-timer on certain occasions but the 15-time world champion works harder than anyone else he knows. He also credited Cena for helping him become a better performer. However, the WWE Champion claimed that he wants respect not only from John but also from everyone else.
Here’s what ‘The Face That Runs The Place’ told Fox Sports:
“Listen, the fact of the matter is, John may be a part-timer - at least sometimes in the WWE - but that guy works harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. i mean, the guy’s on The Today Show in the morning and and comes and does live events, or comes and does SmackDown Live. The guy works hard, I get that.
And to tell you the truth, I’ve become a better performer because of John Cena, and I like that. But as far as respect goes, I want it all. I don’t just want it from John Cena, I want it from the guy and the girls on The Today Show. I want it from the people who made the Royal Rumble poster.”
When asked about who he picked to win the Royal Rumble, Styles compared it to being asked to pick an opponent for his dream match. He said that he would go by whoever the fans’ pick was but named The Undertaker and Randy Orton as potential contenders. AJ Styles stated:
“That’s like asking me who my dream match is, and that’s not up to me. The pick is whatever the fans want. I want them to pick who they want, and I want to go at it. I think it would be fun to face someone like The Undertaker. There’s a number of guys I’ve yet to be in the ring with, like Randy Orton. So you never know who it might be, but regardless, it’s going to be amazing.”
What next?
The WWE Champion’s title will be on the line as he takes on John Cena at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view this Sunday. It will be interesting to see if the WWE will stick with AJ Styles as the champion or give Cena his record-equaling 16th world title.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Ever since he has made his way into the WWE, ‘The Phenomenal One’ has taken the company’s in-ring action to a whole new level with his unique offensive style. No wonder the WWE Universe has developed so much respect for Styles in just a year’s time.
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