WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles discussed his novel off-camera role on an airing of his Phenomenally Retro podcast.
Styles noted, “I went back down to the Performance Center. Adding to the story, we did some more tapings, and I’m going to be taking over for one of the coaches. Man, I had a terrific week.” So, that’s what I was doing.
On whether he is enjoying his new role: “Dude, honestly, I really enjoy it. It’s trying to inspire some of the younger talent and seeing them do well. Like see, being able to produce a encounter and going, ‘Oh my gosh, dude, you guys killed it.’ I love that opportunity to be able to say I was involved in that to a certain degree. Obviously, it’s not me in there doing it, nevertheless just giving ideas and whatnot. Notably, it’s fun, man. Being at the PC and seeing these guys work hard, and they’re willing to work hard for you as I take over a class. Seeing them respect me enough to really work hard, to not go slack off because AJ’s here and not because our original coach isn’t — is a sizable deal to me. Man, I can’t tell you how grateful I am that these guys have worked so hard to help me out in this whole thing that I’m still learning.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below. (H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)