Jay Lethal has shared a heartfelt story about his long-standing friendship with AJ Styles, revealing just how much Styles went out of his way to support him during their time together in TNA Wrestling.
Appearing on the What Happened When with Tony Schiavone podcast, Lethal reflected on Styles’ generosity and guidance, describing him as one of the most genuinely caring people he has ever known.
“AJ always looked out for me. He was, man, he’s one of the best human beings in the world. He said to me, ‘Hey, where do you live now?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I’m in this apartment in Tampa.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, you’re in an apartment. Oh, how long are you gonna—how long you plan on being there?’ I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know, till I can have money to buy a house or something.’ So that was just like a little one-off conversation.”
According to Lethal, the topic didn’t end there. Months later, Styles followed up—and became increasingly concerned that Lethal was still renting.
“And then about five to six months later, he asked me again, ‘So, where you living? You—you’re still in that apartment?’ And then he started getting a little upset. ‘You’re still in that apartment?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘You need—don’t you understand that whatever you’re paying rent-wise for that apartment, you’ll have to pay that forever. You’ll never own it. You’ll always be giving money to somebody else. And you know what? If you had a house, I bet you could be paying less than you’re paying in rent. And if you don’t like that wall, you could just knock that wall down and do whatever you want. You gotta get out of that apartment.’”
At the time, Lethal admitted he internally doubted whether home ownership was realistic for him, given the difference in their positions on the roster.
“I said, ‘Okay’… Well, in the back of my head I’m thinking, that’s easy for you to say. You’re, you know, Impact Wrestling World Champion. I’m, you know, barely getting on the show. He goes, ‘Next time I talk to you, you better start looking for homes.’”
When Lethal still hadn’t begun searching, Styles and his wife took matters into their own hands.
“So when he found that out, him and his wife started looking on the internet, looking for places for me. They’re like, ‘You need to go check this. Go check that.’”
Despite financial concerns and credit issues, Lethal eventually found a modest home—and that’s when Styles’ generosity went even further.
“So when we found this small little old place, I was like, ‘Oh, I guess this place would be okay.’ He actually helped me with the down payment. He goes, ‘Don’t tell anybody. Don’t ever mention this again. And you know what? I don’t even want this money back. And if you try to pay me back, I ain’t gonna take it.’”
Lethal emphasized that the gesture had a lasting impact on his life.
“He helped me. Like, he didn’t have to do that, right? Um, and he helped me get this place that I have, and I still have it to this day.”
Looking back, Lethal said the story goes far beyond financial help—it speaks to Styles’ character.
“I haven’t to this day met any person more kind and thoughtful and just an overall good human being than AJ Styles. And I’m not just saying that because he helped me with the down payment on the house. Like, he always went above and beyond to help me and take care of me and make sure I was good.”
The story offers a rare, personal glimpse behind the scenes—and reinforces why AJ Styles is so widely respected not just for his in-ring greatness, but for the person he has consistently proven to be outside of it as well.
