WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles had a hand behind the scenes in one of the most talked-about matches of the week — Lola Vice’s emotional final NXT Underground bout against Kendal Grey.
Speaking on his own podcast, ‘The AJ Styles Show,‘ Styles confirmed that he and fellow producer Moss worked together to help put together the August 4 match, which saw Grey retain the NXT Women’s Championship and close out her rivalry trilogy with Vice.
Styles didn’t take much credit for the outcome, though, making clear there wasn’t a whole lot of producing needed given how talented both women are in the ring.
There were two of us, two producers in that match, Moss and myself. There’s not much you need to do in a match like this because these girls are so good.
AJ Styles’ Influence
He did admit fans might spot a few subtle touches of his influence if they look closely, joking that some moments would make viewers connect the dots back to him — even though, in his telling, he and Moss barely had to do anything given the level Vice and Grey were working at.
If you watch it, there are some sprinkles of AJ Styles in there that you’ll go, ‘Oh yeah, that makes sense.’ But the truth is, Moss and I didn’t have to do very much because they are so good at what they do.
Styles had high praise for both competitors’ backgrounds outside of pro wrestling. He pointed to Grey’s mixed martial arts training as the reason her strikes look so convincing, and said the same is true for Vice, whose background in Bellator MMA gives her kicks a level of realism that makes it hard to believe they’re not real.
Kendal’s not just a wrestler, by the way. She took all kinds of mixed martial arts. You can tell when she starts throwing punches, you’re like, ‘Wait a second.’
Praises for Lola Vice and Kendal Grey
He capped off his comments by praising whoever came up with the idea of putting Vice and Grey into an Underground match specifically, calling the pairing and the stipulation a perfect fit for what both women do best.
The way they do certain things, it’s just unbelievable. This match that they had, whoever came up with it and put them in it—perfect. It was perfect. They’re so good.
With Grey coming out on top and Vice bidding farewell to NXT immediately after, the match doubled as both a statement win for the champion and a fitting send-off for one of the brand’s rising stars.
