AJ Styles explains why all new WWE Talent NEED to go through NXT - May 2017 

this guy is to good to go in NXT.. when you been around like Aj and did it all basically and his age , NXT would be a waste of time

AJ is genuinely the only superstar over with every single genre of the wwe universe.

AJ STYLES "THE BEST OF THE WORLD"

Makes sense. If you've never main evented a big promotion like NJPW, then taking to WWE is so different. You're not performing for just the crowd anymore like the indies, you're performing for live tv and if you thrust someone like Adam Cole straight into main roster, hes gonna be lost because he doesn't have much experience wrestling for the camera.

AJ shouldnt be defending himself he didn't need NXT. one of the few that wouldn't need NXT. Not many guys have a resume like this dude.

I love AJ. I'm not a big wrestling fan. I only watch WWE, none of the indies, and even that I watch pretty casually. And even I can tell that this dude is something special, one of those talents that only comes along once in a lifetime.

Aj styles was legend before he even stepped in the wwe

He's fucking AJ Styles. He doesn't need learn nothing, the others need to learn from him.

Styles doesn't even need to go to NXT he's called Phenomenal for a reason.

for me aj is the greatest of all time.

best wrestler alive and his prime at 40 i been watching this dude for ova a decade n even then he was great!

It shocks me how many people shit on NXT on these comment boards. AJ Styles is the best wrestler on earth, nobody else can claim that. He was already quite experienced on tv from TNA, has his character down, and is simply the best worker in the world. NXT has made stars out of countless others who nobody had heard of beforehand. Your typical wwe fan only watches wwe, so they don't know a Finn Balor, or a Bobby Roode, or they may have heard of them but never seen them wrestle. Others, like Enzo and Cass, Alexa Bliss, and Bayley were nobodies (figuratively) before NXT. Establishing a connection with the fans, learning how playing to the tv audience works, and the in ring work are all invaluable experiences before going to Raw or SMACKDOWN Live

Styles sets an example that everyone should follow. He was a seasoned vet, a working legend and someone who many still consider to be the best in the world. Despite all that, he didn't take ANYTHING for granted when coming to WWE and was still willing to adapt and learn to be successful. This is a man who is never complacent and never feels like he knows it all - he just works his ass off no matter where he is.

AJ doesnt need NXT, the best wrestler in the freakin world should go straight to the main roster, and winning the WWE championship in less than a year says it all #P1 #NXTdontWantNone

AJ needs to mentor Roman, who needs to learn many things, especially on building mic skills

If AJ says you need NXT than you need NXT. He may not of needed him self but I can tell he thinks a few months would have been beneficial and he's probably right(his character felt lost the first few months until he "got it" his in ring was and is phenomenal as always). This makes me so much more impressed with a guy like Braun Strowman. He went straight to the main roster with little to no in ring experience, had a to go through all the bad and good of learning with the brightest spotlight possible and is now one of the key pieces of the company..

AJ's run in WWE just cements him as the best worker ever imo, he has proven that he can elevate a product wherever he goes.

Bobby Roode. Hideo Itami. Drew McIntyre. Roderick Strong. Aleister Black. Adam Cole. Kassius Ohno. NXT Roster looking good

If WWE should ever be lucky enough to get Omega, they better not put him in NXT. It would ruin the whole aura about him

hold up AJ calls Vince "The Big Man"? hahahaha

this guy is amazing, he really is. I would say I wish he went to WWE as soon as WCW closed but he didn't become this caliber of a wrestler until somewhat recently so I'm glad he went through the progression he did

most of you guys got to watch the video again and really listen to it.

just upload the whole video already!

Aj Styles himself said he wished he'd had learned in NXT but marks act like he knows everything already

It doesn't matter who you are... 2-4 months in NXT should be encouraged regardless of hype and experience. Just because someone got over in one promotion, doesn't mean they'll get over in another promotion. Plus, if I was a wrestler, there's no way I would pass up spending a little bit of time in the Performance Center-- talking to coaches, trainers, road agents, backstage producers, etc... There's too many tools and benefits in NXT that are meant to make a wrestler's life/performance abilities better. It's wiser to take advantage of those perks there than to "sink or swim" on the main roster.

The problem isn't people having to go through NXT. The problem is getting people out of NXT.

He obviously learned it quick. He shot straight to the top.

When are you going to realease the full interview?

An inside expert opinion from the incredible, phenomenal AJ Styles

AJ STYLES IS NEXT LEVEL

lol so how did roman pass by through nxt and still cant cut a promo for shit.

The brands are FINALLY separated AJ. There's no need for new WWE talent to be scared that they could end up RAW since Smackdown is now an option. NXT has now bumped down to being a 2nd option for new WWE talent to go rather than a #1 option to avoid RAW.

It is also about storylines as well. They could have thrown Joe into the main show way before his main roster debut but was there anything for him storyline wise at the time? You only get to make a first impression once and it better be a good one.

Allister Black must be catching on very quickly for him to already be in a Main Event match. lol.

best in the world talking, sit back and listen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AJ STYLES

the FACE that runs the PLACE....the CHAMP that runs the CAMP! has spoken!!!!

the difference with aj is that the years are catching up to him, he is not some rookie thats about to learn a lot of things, he has lots of experience, in fact, i think samoa joe would have been great going to the main roster immediately

All new talent needs to go through TNA -> Mexican Wrestling -> New Japan -> NXT. That way they learn how to do the cool flippy shit before being told they can't do that in WWE anymore.

Best right now. Numero Uno.

aj styles your my favirite wwe wreserler

Can I have more of these videos please!!

NXT is like college sports you stay there a year or so and if your good enough or think your good enough you go to the main shows

No One Is Too Big For NXT.

What he's saying is smart. He had to learn fast cause they told him he didn't need to go to nxt. And I agree with wwe cause he's an 18 year veteran on tv but in wwe it could be slightly different for him to get a gist of. Totally get it. I still feel like samoa joe didn't even have to go through nxt but whatever. He did his thing.

I remember when they had WWF/WWE Try Outs way before NXT and I think before they had Tough Enough

aj should be there as long as Jericho man .... plz

you know what funny, they say they need to learn all the camera angles and blah blah blah. But why did the Cruiserweights that did last time at the PC/NXT were ready for Raw only after a few months.

AJ is cool.

Says the man who didn't go there lol. But I still respect Styles, he adapted to the WWE style very quickly.

TNA wasn't doing similar things though? most of them came from WWE so you would think they would implement the same procedures.

point made. I agree aj didn't need nxt but on the other hand I am getting that he kinda feels like I should have went through nxt too. but I am so glad he didn't

I'm so happy and excited to styles to make it to the wwe my only thing is I wish it was sooner then later younger styles was so much better and took more risks now it's almost like he kinda goes 80% because him and joe and angle has had wars in TNA and I hope to see a triple threat match with all three of a 4 man iron man match with rollins

Namely TNA Guys Bobby Roode Eric Young and anyone who came from TNA. AJ Styles Samoa Joe the monkey Austin Aries and TJ Perkins are in the main Roster that were from TNA. (I know Sting is also from TNA Prece but he started out on WCW and AJ Styles run was cut short by buyout)

Vince would've loved for the Bullet Club to cool off in NXT for 2 years instead of tearing it up all over Japan, UK and the states. Yes, go to nxt to get neutered and learn the dumb lingo.

AJ is just veteran atm..he is in league of Legends..like HBK,Austin, Goldberg, Rock..imo he is the best in ring performer of all time..i just wish he wss there during HBK or Undertaker time..love to see him going against them..ffs, he made Shane o Mac looks like a pro wrestler

I don't agree with this, I understand what he's saying but not every talent should have to go through NXT

Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries didn't need to go through NXT. Neither did Nakamura from a Wrestling standpoint but he had to improve his English massively.

If you think veterans wouldn't need NXT you know nothing about WWE. The wrestlers don't need to learn wrestling. They have to learn how to present themselves for high quality tv productions. No other promotion is close to this level. They have to be at a certain spot at a certain time, they have to look to certain points for closeups, they have to time matches to the second for add breaks. And everything has to be perfectly on spot, because it's live. In other promotions storytelling isn't that important. They do camerawork like for other sport events. Look at the camerawork in WWE and you will see the difference.

reason he was able to bypass it quickly even though "before" was still different than now, is that he was for a short while in WWE before he got to TNA, I think even Mickie James needed those few weeks in NXT as her last time at WWE was not that recent......................... Kelly Kelly MIGHT have to go to NXT if she decides to be for a while ( 1 or 2 years ) at WWE main roster, same wit Melina ( I think the cut off point of not having to go NXT might be 5? years ) plus many times indie wrestlers need time to adjust to a new "character" and even new name on some cases

AJ telling folks to go through NXT is the equivalent of Lebron James telling kids to go to college.

Yeah but sometimes it takes them forever before they get put on the main roster

the "sink or swim" really comes from it being live. there are no room for mistakes, especially for it being timed. they have 3 hours to do a certain content, one second here or there may result in cutting a whole segment or even matches. live television is extremely hard and stresful, if you dont go through developmental that teaches you live tv, you will sink. FCW was by far better WRESTLING developmental. the teachers there werent wwe guys, they were wrestling guys. but it was only on a local channel that no one watched. nxt teaches PERFORMING infront of millions. (FCW was better in my opinion)

In my universe mode I put AJ in NXT because why the hell not

Subtext: "*I* made it through, but I'm the best wrestler in the world, potential contender for best wrestler of all time. Are you the best wrestler in the world? No, because I am the best wrestler in the world. If I found it hard, you're screwed, *Kenny*."

The reason why Aj is saying this is because NXT is lacking a complete Roster that people are gonna wanna see.Roderick Strong,Ey,Booby Roode are gonna most likely get called to the main roster then what's gonna be the Main reason for people to watch NXT.

what about Adam Cole?

Finn Balor, Samoa joe, asuka, and shinsuke, and DIY were all on NXT for too long, plus asuka and DIY are still on the nxt roster technically. NXT is either extremely beneficial, or extremely hurtful.

Well yeah I mean...the biggest difference between NXT and the old FCW is that NXT is more mainstream. But FCW and OVW were the big feeders for WWE.

I watched AJ main event in tna for for just over ten years. He was phenomenal,just like his nickname. Other TNA starts have made it big too like samoa joe-bobby roode-eric young. I sad to see AJ toe the wwe line and diss other promotions and make look inferior like there stars are good enough to main event.Note I didn't mention ring of honour look at all the wwe stars from their.

Aj don't need to learn.. others needs to learn from him..

you can tell that AJs point either went over the idiots who are commenting head or they flat out didn't watch the video. Talent has nothing to do with it. It's adjusting to the WWE style of things. NJPW, ROH and the other Indy feds don't care about presentation as much and the smallest mistake can lead to an awkward presentation on air. I agree that most if not all the talent should go to NXT first to catch on to things like that. If you have a problem then you can blame morons like Sin Cara (Mystico).

Guys like bobby roode samoa joe and shinsuke nakamura in my opinion didn't need to go to nxt. If they have skipped it and go on to the main roster, they probably would of booked better.

i mean all the wrestlers would lie if they say they dont want to work for wwe at any point in their lifetime.

The thing is... the greatest stars in WWE history never went though NXT, because it didn't exist.

AJ wants NXT, but he doesn't need NXT.

Aj talking about not going to nxt is like an engineer who is like "i need to learn engineering again for 4 more years before i shift to another company"😂😂 Common man ur the best in the world !!! Now its the time for u to teach not to learn

No, they don't, AJ! There are many talented wrestlers out there, who don't need to waste their time in NXT. You just don't want the added competition, because your ego can't handle it.

Spoopy

Many guys are too good for NXT.

ADAM COLE BAY BAY!!!

That man contract is so big it would’ve been a waste to send him to NXT.

Samoa Joe went through NXT not to learn but to teach the younger talent.

Nope some NXT stars still didn't learn like Bo Dallas.

WWE make a right decision not putting AJ on NXT

These are the sort of interviews that make me dislike smarks. Don't pretend like you know what the hell happens behind closed doors, especially in the WWE. Every promotion is different, every wrestler is different and like any work place, the individuals advancement withing the organization is more on them than on the company. Especially when the WWE offers something like the performance center to their talent. I know that Vince and creative have been pretty terrible at booking matches, and the scripted promos are really, really awful, but it's not managements fault if a wrestler has a shitty match because the wrestler won't take any initiative to try new things. I'm not defending the bad management practices of the WWE, because frankly those are irrefutable, but I think people need to give things time to develop. A lot of people complain about how WWE rush everything, but then also complain when the company doesn't throw titles at their favorite indie wrestlers as soon as they debut. I got into wrestling through the indie scene, not the WWE, so I understand that instinctual reflex of being worried of how the WWE is going to treat them, but if we as fans can't be consistent in what we ask for from the WWE, how can they deliver us a consistent product?

iam phenomenal

Says the guy who never went.. If anything that did his career great and it crippled others or wasted their time

I just heard the God of the Marks (Dave Meltzer) say that next years WM main event will be Roman vs Brock. I'm not a Roman hater (fuck trending wrestling fans) but it pisses me off because Roman is young and if WWE ever turns him heel he will get over but AJ is 38 years old...they are going to miss the fucking boat on AJ headlining a WM! He is the best in the world and it would do so much good for WWE if they just let this be the time of AJ Styles. I hope AJ only signed a 2 year deal so he can get back to being booked as the greatest in the world. I wish so bad that this great SOUTHERN wrestler had a real southern pro wrestling company (WCW, SMW or USWA) so he would be treated right.

He has such a southern accent:)

"I know i didn't go through nxt" then shhhhh AJ shhhh. But nah forreal nxt needs to get back to its roots of developing new talent.

i wanna know what that one thing he had to learn was

Nxt needs to stablish it self as it own brand and not development even if it is...

Going through NXT then getting wasted on the main roster

Roman Reigns

Why the fuck does AJ Styles need to go to NXT when he's been in TNA, NJPW and RoH? He's got one of the best CVs in the roster, kek.

What?

Top 5

Yes his in ring work is too good for nxt but in reality, if it wasn't for all the injuries last year, he would've gone to nxt for at least 5 months to learn the way that the WWE works, that's what nxt was made for, nobody is too big for nxt

Stars hopping over from WCW to WWF didnt have to go through NXT. Look at so many dudes who came over and did very well. How much of the surprise would have been lost if the WCW wrestlers went through an indoc before going to the main roster? AJ's debut was so fantastic because it was a total surprise. He just showed up. - You lose that with NXT. However, I doubt the WWE cares about putting together an exciting and semi-unpredictable show these days