On the September 8, 2025, episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, AJ Styles cut a fiery promo during a commercial break that was only witnessed by the live crowd and those watching an uncut feed. “The Phenomenal One” vented his frustrations about his current position in the company, suggesting that “somebody doesn’t want me here.”
Just before his scheduled match against El Grande Americano, Styles grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd directly. He pointed out that for the first time in his career, he has been left completely isolated on the roster. “For the first time in my career, I’ve got no one watching my back. Gallows, Anderson, they’re not here. Michin, she’s on SmackDown,” Styles said. “It’s like someone orchestrated a way for me not to win anymore, not to have help. I’ll let you make your own conclusions.”
He then acknowledged the unique, off-air nature of his promo, hinting that he was speaking more freely than he would on live television. “By the way, we are here right now and all over the world, but to rest everybody, is it a commercial break. I’m telling you something that you’re probably not supposed to hear, but somebody doesn’t want me here,” he continued.
Styles then stated his motivation for his match against El Grande Americano, framing it as a way to send a message to the person he believes is holding him down. “What we’re going to do is you’re going to beat the piss out of Grande Americano tonight so that the person that doesn’t want me here anymore can feel a little bit of his pain and mine also,” he declared.
The promo comes at a time when Styles’s future with WWE is a topic of speculation. He recently posted a cryptic hourglass image on his social media, and his son was seen agreeing with a fan who was critical of his father’s booking. While he did sign a one-year contract extension earlier this year, his contract is up in February.