AEW has been around for over a year now and ever since its inception, it has signed several high-profile talents from various promotions including WWE. Many fans were expecting AJ Styles to jump ship to AEW, but that did not happen.
Styles re-signed with WWE last year. It is known to be a five-year contract, but the amount Styles will be paid is not public. However, it was enough to convince him to stay with WWE.
Matt Jackson recently spoke on the Talk’n Shop’s Patreon Podcast, where he talked about AJ Styles. He revealed how close AEW was to signing Styles, stating they were closer than most expected. However, WWE suddenly offered him a lucrative 5-year deal.
“When were pitching ideas to have you guys [Anderson and Gallows] come in, it was not going to be just the two of you [debuting on AEW]. There was going to be another person who I would not name. Let us just say he’s another Bullet Club member you may not want to talk about,”
Had Styles signed with AEW, he certainly would have competed in excellent matches with the likes of Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega and more. It is unlikely fans will see him in AEW as he stated in the past he will likely retire after his current WWE contract expires.
h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.
