During a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show podcast, WWE World Tag Team Champion AJ Styles, along with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and TJ Jefferson, discussed various topics, including his reasons for turning down a contract with the company in 2002.
This is what AJ Styles said, “Listen, this was hard for me, because of course I wanted to make it in the WWE. I wanted to at least train to be better, and I went up there and I had a decent training, and they offered me a deal. And mind you, I had to move to Cincinnati for $500 a week. And I know that this is a couple years ago, so it’s not terrible money, but I was also making that at my regular job…and they took out taxes. I delivered bottled water. It is what it is. Actually, my first job, when I got to WCW, I was delivering bottled water. By the time I got to the tryout with WWE, I was a non-emergency ambulance driver. Which means I have a van, and I go pick up people from nursing home mostly, and I take ’em to the doctor for their doctor’s appointments. One of my favorite jobs, because of the older folk that I got to talk to.”
On another important factor that contributed to his decision:
“My wife was in college to be a schoolteacher, and I just didn’t think it was right for me to go off and leave her, and her move back into her parents’ house. That is not how a husband does things. I made sure that we put her priorities, her dream first, and see what happens. And you know what? It turned out to be probably the best thing I could have done.”
You can check out the complete podcast below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
