WWE Superstar AJ Styles reflects on his time in Japan ahead of high-profile NOAH match

AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows were all members of Bullet Club before they arrived in WWE in 2016. Styles, especially, is one of the biggest names in the eyes of Japanese fans.

This sentiment was echoed by Cyberfight Director Narihiro Takeda recently when discussing the upcoming match against Naomichi Marufuji at Pro Wrestling NOAH's Destination event on July 13. This will mark the first time they step inside the squared circle to wrestle.

AJ has fond memories of his two-year run with New Japan Pro-Wrestling before signing with WWE. He opened up to Sports Illustrated following the match announcement:

"Looking back at my time in Japan, I was working with some of the best guys in the company in the ring," Styles said. "And I was spending time with some of my best friends in life on a daily basis. I mean, come on, that was incredible."

Styles wrestled Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in an "I Quit" match in Glasgow, Scotland, this past Saturday. He also recently teased retirement on-screen. While that was a ruse, he has informed fans that his days as an in-ring competitor are numbered.

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AJ Styles is open to facing Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but the WWE legend should be a babyface

During another recent interview with Sports Illustrated, AJ Styles was asked about a potential match against The Rock. Having returned to the ring in 2024 as The Final Boss, the first-time-ever clash seems possible at this point.

The Phenomenal One clarified that he has no intentions of turning babyface for the program should it happen. In fact, it was the one condition he had if the two were to ever face off in a WWE ring:

"Of course, I’m interested–but only if that means The Rock is turning babyface," said Styles. "I’m not interested in being a mediocre bad guy. I want to bring this to a whole new level."

The Rock turned heel in February after realizing that the crowd was dying to see Cody Rhodes triumph over The Bloodline rather than watch him face Roman Reigns. This led to his first match in eight years on the grand stage. He has made it clear that The Final Boss will be back for the next chapter, which is likely to culminate in another match, presumably at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas.