AJ Styles believes Roman Reigns wasn’t particularly fond of him when he first arrived in WWE, but says their acclaimed 2016 rivalry ultimately helped earn Reigns’ trust.
Speaking on The AJ Styles Show, Styles reflected on joining WWE in January 2016 after establishing himself as one of the biggest stars outside the company. He stressed that Reigns never actually told him there was an issue and that his comments were based on his own perception of their early interactions.
“I don’t think Roman liked me in the beginning. I don’t think he really liked me,” Styles said. “He didn’t know who I was or what I was about or know anything about me. It was like, this guy’s coming into my house thinking he knows how to do this.”
Styles believes things changed once he and Reigns began working together in the ring.
“I don’t know that for sure, but I think once we wrestled in that storyline that we had, that was unbelievable. I think after that, he was like, all right, I like this guy,” Styles said. “It wasn’t about me, it was about the match. I think once people realise that with anybody, now you’re able to trust them.”
Styles summed up the shift in their relationship by describing the acceptance he felt he had earned.
“We can trust this guy. He’s one of the boys,” Styles said.
Styles also recalled greeting Reigns in a corridor during a WWE television taping and receiving a response that he couldn’t understand. Looking back, Styles suggested the awkward interaction may have been as much about his own southern accent as anything else.
Throughout the discussion, Styles made it clear that he wasn’t presenting the situation as a grievance or claiming to know exactly how Reigns felt. Instead, he believes their work together allowed the two men to establish trust.
Styles made his WWE debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble and quickly entered the company’s main-event picture. By May, he was challenging Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Payback, with another championship match following at Extreme Rules.
Later that year, Styles defeated Dean Ambrose to capture his first WWE Championship.
A decade after his arrival, Styles retired from in-ring competition at the 2026 Royal Rumble and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April. He has since transitioned into talent development, including producing matches for NXT and Evolve.
Reigns, meanwhile, currently holds the World Heavyweight Championship and is scheduled to defend the title against Penta on the September 14 episode of WWE Raw in Mexico City.
