AJ Styles has weighed in on Ryan Garcia’s controversial WWE cameo. On the latest episode of The AJ Styles Show, the retired WWE star addressed the segment on the July 27 Raw where Garcia smashed a guitar across Joe Hendry’s back and posed with The Judgment Day.
Styles admitted he doesn’t follow the boxer closely, but he understands why the moment landed badly with fans.
I think he said some really stupid things in the past that people hadn’t forgot about. I don’t keep up with this guy. So, all I know he’s an unbelievable boxer, but apparently doesn’t have a filter or something like that.
The appearance drew heavy fan backlash over Garcia’s 2024 remarks that got him temporarily expelled by the WBC, and reportedly several WWE wrestlers wanted nothing to do with him being on the show.
The TKO Factor
Asked whether Garcia’s cameo was part of a larger corporate play, Styles pointed straight at ownership. Zuffa Boxing, the TKO-backed promotion, is co-promoting Garcia’s WBC welterweight title defense against Conor Benn on September 12 in Las Vegas.
This is who WWE is at the moment right now. They’re aligned with TKO and then there’s going to be certain things that they try to work in together. I mean, some stuff’s going to work, some people wish never happened. You never know until you try.
There’s still no word on whether Garcia sticks around WWE television beyond SummerSlam weekend.
