Why did AJ Styles fake his retirement? The Phenomenal One opens up

AJ Styles recently took a unique approach to ensure he would have a chance to battle Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship, by faking his own retirement. It turned out to be an effective tool to trick the champion and fans alike.

On the May 31 episode of WWE SmackDown, AJ Styles shocked fans by delivering what seemed to be a retirement speech after failing to secure another title match against Cody Rhodes from Nick Aldis. However, things took a turn after The American Nightmare joined the 'retiring' veteran in the ring to pay homage, when Styles attacked him, thereby securing a title match at Clash at the Castle: Scotland soon after.

At the recent Kickoff event, The Phenomenal One stated that he faked his retirement since Aldis wouldn't give him the opportunity he wanted. He reasoned that he did deserve another shot after Cody Rhodes played right into his hands and gave him what he wanted. He added that people can be mad about it, but everybody fell for it, which got him what he wanted.

WWE Clash at the Castle: Scotland will take place at the OVO Hydro arena on June 15, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. Styles will challenge Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship in an 'I Quit' Match.

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How did Mark Henry react to AJ Styles' way of 'retiring' from WWE?

Styles' way of luring Cody into giving him a title match may have been underhanded, yet he succeeded because Mark Henry laid out the blueprints years ago against John Cena. The legendary wrestler viewed the incident in a positive light.

In an episode of the Busted Open Podcast, Henry talked about how AJ and Cody paid tribute to him through the segment and how they even did similar postures. The Hall of Famer also praised the superstar's execution, cameras, angles, and more.

"I know both of those guys. They thought about it and said, 'Let's do it like Mark did it.' They did the same exact posturing. Even to the point, after the clothesline and beatdown, he did the same posturing of standing over him just like I did. When they went outside to the floor, all bets were off, they did a great job. The execution of it, the camera angles that they took was incredible," said Henry.

It would be interesting to see what will happen next with AJ Styles and Cody Rhodes after Clash at the Castle: Scotland.