AJ Styles recently addressed the tribalism between WWE and AEW fans, encouraging them to appreciate the variety of wrestling available.
During the latest edition of Phenomenally Retro Podcast, he highlighted that different promotions offer unique experiences and that negativity surrounding wrestler movement is unnecessary.
'The Phenomenal One' addressed the online negativity that tends to follow wrestlers who move between promotions. He said the constant criticism and fan arguments over those moves miss the bigger picture.
Instead, Styles encouraged fans to simply appreciate the fact that wrestling currently has more options than it did in the past.
Styles stated:
Yeah, I mean this is — you’re right — it’s a great time to be a wrestling fan. If you like wrestling, then take part in it. There are so many things going on right now.”
“NXT is different than Raw and SmackDown. AEW is different than Raw and SmackDown and NXT. There are a lot of things going on and a lot of wrestling to watch, so enjoy it.”
“You don’t have to hate one or the other. There’s enough out there for you to enjoy a little bit of everything. I think that’s what WWE is trying to do — give you a little bit of everything. Because you want to be entertained, you want to laugh, you want to cry, and you want to enjoy the wrestling. Trying to find all of that in one show is very difficult.”
“But then you’ve got people hating on this because this guy left here and went there, or that guy moved somewhere else. Don’t do that, man. Just enjoy what you’ve got, because who knows how long it lasts.
Styles, who retired from in-ring competition after losing to Gunther at the Royal Rumble, recently signed a new WWE contract for a backstage role scouting and coaching talent. He was also inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame.
As part of his new WWE duties, Styles will scout independent talent, facilitate WWE ID contracts, and check in on main roster and NXT talent to offer help.
