AJ Styles had a hand in putting together the violent street fight that headlined the July 21 episode of WWE NXT.
The former WWE Champion revealed on his Phenomenally Retro podcast that he helped produce the NXT Championship Street Fight between Tony D’Angelo and Naraku.
Since stepping away from full-time competition, Styles has taken on several backstage responsibilities in WWE, primarily working with talent scouting and the WWE ID program, though he has previously stated he has no desire to move into a full-time creative role.
“I was able to help with the producing of the Tony D/Naraku match, and I thought it went really, really well. Really well,” Styles said. “And I’m one of those people that are still heavily involved in watching the match. So, while I was on the headset, I did not do a good job of saying anything other than [loudly reacting to the match]. I let somebody else handle that part of the producing part. But, yeah, man, we got together and I think we did a good job.”
Styles also had high praise for both competitors following the match. He spoke highly of D’Angelo’s current presentation, noting that he believes the former NXT standout is on track to become one of the next talents called up to WWE’s main roster.
The veteran also complimented Naraku, formerly known as EVIL in NJPW, describing him as a quiet and respectful person behind the scenes who is able to completely transform once he steps into character.
Styles added that he was especially proud of the performance Naraku delivered in the main event.
