John Cena was not on board with bringing AJ Styles to WWE, claims Arn Anderson

AJ Styles is currently one of the most prominent figures in WWE, and it’s hard to imagine what the WWE would be like without AJ Styles today. However, it’s even harder to process that John Cena once felt like the promotion didn’t need AJ Styles to boost their viewership. According to former WWE producer Arn Anderson, John Cena was not keen on bringing AJ Styles on board from TNA because he preferred the promotion of NXT superstars.

Recalling his time working in WWE, Arn Anderson said that he once told John Cena that he was thinking of bringing TNA superstars AJ Styles, Bonny Roode and James Storm to the company so that WWE could get new faces and superstars could get new and already trained opponents. In reply, John Cena said that WWE should bring new superstars from WWE NXT. “John said, ‘Hey, we got NXT, we make our own stars’. I am sure he was just transferring Vince’s psychology to me when he said that. I knew what those guys could do in a match for John if you gave them 6 to 9 months to come in and get over,” said Arn Anderson on his ARN podcast.

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In the months since, John Cena and AJ Styles have worked together on multiple occasions. The pair was involved in the WWE Championship feud in 2016 which ended at the 2017 Royal Rumble. The title match between the two was hailed by many, and their in-ring rivalry is arguably one of the most memorable of the last decade. 

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WWE Royal Rumble 2017: John Cena defeats AJ Styles, becomes the new WWE Champion

The match began as John Cena delivered an Attitude Adjustment for a near-fall, but AJ Styles soon recovered and hit Cena with a Phenomenal Forearm for a near-fall. AJ Styles then trapped John Cena in a Calf Crusher, but Cena answered with the STF. AJ Styles broke the lock by grabbing the bottom rope and trapped Cena in the STF. Cena broke free but got hit by a Styles Clash which earned the Phenomenal One another two count. As Styles attempted to deliver another Phenomenal Forearm, but John Cena countered with an Attitude Adjustment. Cena delivered yet another Attitude Adjustment to win the title.

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