AJ Styles

It looked like you were going to put your gloves down, but then you didn't. And you put them back on. What does that mean? I don't know. I don't know. Oh, what's your story? Don't you dare be sour. Clap for Stephanie. And feel the power. I wouldn't have married my wife if she was like a Georgia Tech fan. It's like you just done. The conversation doesn't even start. Yeah. What team? Out of here. She's out. My son is dating a girl and because she thought it looked cute, she literally had on a Georgia Tech sweat. Oh, oh. And I was like, hey, Maggie. She goes, was that strike two? And I was like, mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. I forget what strike one was. Sinister. Sinister things. Yeah. What happens after three strikes? I don't know. You're out. All right, Avery. I've seen red flags. She's not good for you, bud. So you were, how old were you when you moved from North Carolina to Florida? I was a baby. You were? Okay. Florida. Did you hear that, guys? The mistake that everybody makes. I'm sorry. I did that. I did that. I'm sorry I'm sorry we're starting off bad we start over I'm trying to make something she only did that because you didn't know about Massachusetts actually there we go you're a good friend I told you she's great at everything you did thanks Elise I was just a baby So, okay. Cause I, my grandmother, um, lived in Jacksonville, uh, North Carolina. Yep. And, um, you know, I used to go to the base there at Camp Lejeune. Oh, really? Yeah. Because her second husband was a vet. Did you drink the water? Cause that wasn't good. May have during those times. My mom did. It might explain a lot. Yeah. Yeah. So you, so you grew up in Georgia and, um, where did you grow up? Like in what, uh, kind of environment? So trailer park kid, you know, parents had job, you know, both of my parents had a job, but they just weren't very good jobs. And the older I've gotten, I've realized they are terrible, 1000% terrible with money. They never, either they were stingy with it or didn't know how to use it or I don't know what it was, but they just, they had no idea how to make it work for them. You know, I think that's actually a failure of the education system. I agree. Because you're not taught how to manage money at all. You're not taught about making money. Like you learn math, but you don't learn how to use like actual applied math. Or like show us how to fill out tax. Right. Yeah. And what you're going to be expected to do. Because when you graduate high school, you graduate at 18. A lot of people don't go on to school. They go to work. Yeah. My parents didn't finish high school. Or you get your GED. And so, but still like, if you don't know how to manage your money, you don't know how to write a check. Like that stuff can come back to bite you in the butt. People can take advantage of you. Like all that stuff can happen. So I'm assuming that's what happened to them. They just were terrible with money and maybe we could have had a place because the welfare came by our house. I was like, yes, we're going to get food. Right. And they were like, oh, your parents make too much money. I'm like, this is terrible. We had my mom and dad had four boys. We ate a lot. Yeah. So by a lot, I mean of mayonnaise sandwiches because that's all there were. You know, there wasn't a lot to eat there. But, you know, it is what it is. It made me who I am. I'm okay with that. So I agree with that. I think that, um, hard times shape our character. Um, and you know, I've also, my dad grew up in a trailer park. He told me. Yeah. And, um, he said he didn't know what was worse. Um, the outhouse in the summer or the winter because he didn't have any, any, you know, indoor plumbing at first. And then he said he moved. Well, summer for many reasons, but winter you're very, very cold. I mean, you gotta, I mean, you've had to pee in the middle of the night. Yeah. Holy crap. And it's cold. Yeah. And especially as we get older, right? Oh, man. It's terrible. Yeah. You're so sleepy. You don't even know where you're going. You end up in the woods. Wander out. Coyote. I was going to say, forget being pregnant. Oh. Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah. See? Well, and how about, yeah. Now it sounds real terrible, doesn't it? Yeah. No, it really does. Bless those women. Yeah, for real. Damn. Yeah, he told me that he grew up in the trailer park. He told me, or at least in a trailer. So I was like, well, how about that? Yeah. You know, we have something in common. Yeah. You know, which was a good thing. Maybe he's like, all right, let me help this redneck out. You know, I know what it's like. I think for sure. You know, I think he can relate, you know, and I think not a lot of people have that success story, you know, and are able, and I mean you as well, like not a lot of people are able to come from that environment where the odds are just so stacked against you. Right. And, and rise above it and somehow reach, you know, a different place. And I often hear that, you know, people who have like you, who have gone through that, the part of the drive and the motivation is because you never, ever, ever want to go back because you know what that's like. Oh man, that, that is a scariest thing. Even now, to, to, this is, this sounds bad to say, but like, I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck, right. You know? Um, and that frightens me to get to that point where like, Oh, you know, like we, we have to budget all this and do that and do it perfectly. And that's kind of scary. Right. Um, so to go back to that, I'm, I'm, I'm not, I'll find a way to, to do something, to make sure that we'll never be like that again. But you know what the crazy thing is, and me and my friend have talked about this before, that you try so hard to never go back to that. You spoil your kids all at the same time. Yeah. They don't learn the same lessons. No, they don't. It's hard to learn those lessons because mom and dad are going to be able to get it for you. Right. And you are so proud to be in that position, to be able to do that, to provide for them so that they don't have to go through that. But then how do you teach them gratitude and work ethic and everything else? I don't know. That's a good one. Sometimes it's just going, hey, man, no. This is one of mine. Hey, dude, you know that credit card that is mine that I'm paying for that you have? That's for you, not your friends, to take them out to dinner. So stop spending my money on all your friends. I'm glad that they're able to do it and be able to take care of their friends if they need to but at the same time spend your money Christmas money spend that so at what age is the right age for them to get a job oh I think if they're not playing sports or extra activities after school that's keeping them busy you get a job so they go oh no dad I'm working I'm doing this I'm playing this I'm like yeah okay you can still go to work mom takes care of them they're really doing school and they're doing a lot of homework whatever bags and groceries at Kroger or something my youngest bags groceries she's a checkout girl there's nothing wrong with that it's an honest work and they get to talk to people I think it's good for them I think it is too they make a little money for themselves and she's saving hey how about you pay for your gas She's so smart though. So she's saving, but yet she still only spends her gift cards. That's smart. That she gets at Christmas. Yeah, or she works me. She's working you. Most of the time she's working me. Yeah. I do fall for it though a lot. But she does have her job and she is saving her money. I don't think it's fair for you and Hunter to go through three girls. Because listen, if I had three girls, they'd get anything they want. I got one. I'm like, you know what? You're not getting that. Do you want it really? Do you really want it? How bad? So, yeah. It is tough. They know how to push those buttons. Yeah, boys are like, nah, dog, get over there. Shut up. I have a boy and a girl, and I can see it already. My husband's like, not yelling at my son, but like, get away from your sister, whatever it is. And then he's like, oh, come here. So I go to the boy. He's my boy, and that's his girl. Yes, it's a real thing. Listen, it's very different. The way I treated my sons to my daughter. Oh, man, I would throw them around the house. I don't care. Yeah, my brother would say the same thing. I mean, I don't play around with them. You would, yeah. I mean, but you have to show them some tough kind of love. We're not raising boys. We're raising men, right? So I have to be a little bit harder on them than I would my daughter. You know, my job is to protect her until she finds a man to protect her. My mom always told me it is your father's job to, let me think of how she said it. It's your father's job to raise Shane to be a man and it's my job to raise you to be a woman. Sounds about right. Yeah. And she had no problem being strict. I feel like she did great. Yeah. Linda laid the law down. I've said this many times. Your mom's going to spank you. It ain't going to be me. I'm not doing it. No way. I'm like your dad's gonna spank you 100% so it's funny you say that because I was always on the road you know have been for 27 years so there were some days you know I'd get the call like so and so was doing this you gotta come home and discipline him okay I get home I shut the door what are you doing man alright listen I'm gonna I'm gonna act like I'm gonna hit the belt on the bed a couple times you just stay in here and act like you're crying because I don't feel like whooping you today Okay? Okay. That happened more than once. Wow. Yeah. That's pretty amazing. You know, they've cut me some slack over the years. They've been a little bit easier on dad, but we've had some moments where they were just like them. Like, dude, would you stop? I wonder how they really felt, you know, because you were so honest with them and they could see how tired you were, right? I think so. and how hard you were working and it's like i wonder what their perspective was as kids you know i i'm gonna get them in here one day i'm like all right tell me what you're thinking the patience that you're gonna kill me yeah well for sure right yeah but like the patience in that moment of like i just let's just talk for a second like sometimes it's yeah sometimes you overcompensate the other way right human nature i mean right but it's you know it's it's easier now I've told them several times as they're growing up and it's like listen you're not going to understand until you have kids or you're not going to understand until you get a little bit older and sure enough they've come to me like dad you're right you're right everything you said was right you know when they've had a broken heart you know you had the the hardest thing was for him to tell me I was right probably but it was you know it's like son I didn't want to be right It's just, we could see it. Yeah. So, at least he had somebody to talk to her. We had a similar situation. There was a bad apple that was influencing one of our daughters, and we kept making her aware of it, making her aware of it, and then eventually it blew up into a situation. She got caught up in a bad deal, and we had that conversation. We said we we didn't it doesn't make us feel good to say we told you so. Right. But it's this is what we were trying to tell you that if you kept hanging out with her, that eventually something we didn't know what, but eventually something was going to happen. And now it has. Yeah. And how do you feel about it? And she felt awful about it. And I said, and how does your friend feel about it? she goes oh actually she didn't really care i was like right that's what we're trying to tell you yeah yeah it's it's like that it is they have to learn their own lessons they do you know and that's one of the hardest parts i think of being a parent i always say that uh either you can learn from your parents mistakes or follow in their footsteps i prefer to learn from their mistakes and then sometimes you know i get it i had to learn things on my own too you know i hated to admit that my dad was right you know but uh i'm glad he was you know at least i knew he loved me he was trying to make sure i wasn't doing too many stupid things it was all i love yeah as long as you come from that yeah i mean there you've heard the saying i'm sure that there's only one man on this plan that wants you to be better than him. That's your dad. Like, I want my kids to be... If you've got a good dad. Well, yeah, if you've got a good dad. Yeah. I guess not all dads are like that. Not all dads are created equal. But then again, I've had my moments. But I wanted them to be as successful as they possibly could be. And I want to be able to say I'm proud of you and cheer for them all the way through. Yeah. I've never heard that expression before. I love it. And it's true, right? Like I want my kids to be bigger, stronger, smarter, faster. Like that's evolution, right? I cheer for my girls. I mean, I wasn't ready for it at five when my youngest surpassed my intellect, but it happened fast, much faster than I anticipated. But, you know, it's, that is what you want. And yeah, from the male perspective, that's, that's really interesting. it's uh i mean because we're in competition with everybody else yeah trying to do better and be better and at the same time i'm one of those guys that doesn't want to compare myself to someone else but i'm we're in competition to get to the next level you know i'm not going to stab you in the back to get there but i'm going to outwork you yeah and uh to be able to hopefully show my kids that it can be done it may not come when you want it right eventually it will be there if you work hard enough for it and you don't give up somebody's going to slip up somebody's going to get hurt something's something's going to happen you got to be ready to step up yeah when preparation meets opportunity right heck yes hell yeah i will make the best out of every opportunity you give me just as long as you give me an opportunity i'm like the best out of it this message is sponsored by raycon with the super bowl and the winter olympics this month there's no better time to get inspired push harder and upgrade your workout routine when you're training consistently, the right gear makes all the difference. I've been using Raycon's Everyday Earbuds Classic, and they've completely changed how I work out. Raycon's Everyday Earbuds Classic is packed with upgrades. They've got active noise cancellation, multi-point connectivity, so you can pair with two devices at once, and a super comfortable ergonomic design that stays put no matter what you're doing. And here's the kicker. Raycon delivers the same premium audio quality as the big brands, but at half the price. Add in over 3 million happy customers and a 30-day happiness guarantee, and there's zero reason to overpay. The Everyday Earbuds Classic are here to help you go for gold. Go to buyraycon.com slash W-Y-S to get 15% off. Thanks Raycon for sponsoring. what's one of the opportunities you've had to fight the hardest for wow that's a tough one that's really tough you know what i i remember um the opportunity to wrestle for wcw and they didn't like the way my partner and you were what like how many five months in or something? Yeah. I was signed with WCW for a total of five months. That was the happiest camper you ever saw. I was with WCW. It was a big deal. But they had me and my partner wear fighter pilot suits. Oh, well that makes sense. Yeah, it was terrible. You were born in North Carolina. First in flight. The state is first in flight. I don't know. All I know. what they were having is this get up the Wright Brothers whatever that suit was they gave me to wear it was going up my butt so that's all I can remember but I was like man you know what they're going to get the best fighter pilot they've ever seen you know what wear the glasses top gun that's exactly what I was picturing that's exactly what we were I mean that's not a bad gimmick at the time it's a gimmick you couldn't relate to it We're talking about what, 2001, I think it was. So how'd you fight for the opportunity? Well, so WCW offered me a deal, like a developmental deal to go to the power plant, 500 bucks a week. And I was like, I don't know. I'm making that at my regular job. And then, you know, since I'm an independent contractor, they'll take out more taxes. And I was like, I can barely pay for anything now. Then I'd have to drive it to Atlanta. I was like, this ain't going to work. And I had to turn down the opportunity to be able to, you know. But that was WWE, right? No, that was WCW. Oh, I thought. I did it twice. Oh, okay. Because the same amount of money. Well, yes. That's interesting. Yep. And so I just couldn't afford to live like that. So. You turned down WCW and WWE. Listen, it wasn't easy. Wow. I know it sounds like it was. And it worked out. And then you went on to. Well, I'll tell you this. And then they offered me again a couple months later. instead of 500 bucks it was 800 I was like oh yes here we go I didn't have to go to the power plant I went straight to oh WCW where I was so you were negotiating you didn't realize it I didn't realize it yeah I guess they just needed some guys to beat up on and I will be that guy yeah so uh but it was you know the opportunity that was hard like to say no to right you know 500 bucks but just WCW, that was hard. That was really difficult. With such perspective. But think about WCW and then getting offered by WWE and having to turn that down, that was even harder. Yeah. You know, the biggest wrestling company in the world, and I had to turn them down. You know, I've told this story before, you know, I got offered $500 a week to move to Cincinnati. My wife is in college, chasing her dream to be a school teacher, and I was like, I can't move to Cincinnati. I can't leave her. Like my job is to take care of her. I've heard you say that. It's just, it was hard to swallow. Yeah. And she even told me like, you can go. Because she's been with you since day one. We started dating in 96. Wow. And so that's over 30 years that we've been together. Yeah, and you said your date nights were, you know, going to the indie shows. Oh, yeah. that's what it does I mean she had to love me because those were terrible did she fall in love with wrestling? no no she never did no not at all not at all she never liked it but she went with me to this day yeah I don't I don't think she really liked it I mean she'll she'll watch it but you know she gets caught up and like it's weird that she knows but she's like ah I don't like him I'm like he is playing a character. You would love him. He's a great guy. Well, then she does like it. Maybe she does. She's getting hooked. Maybe she does. Yeah. I mean, if not. At least a little. If not, that's a damn good partner. Right? Yeah. She is. I mean, too. That's true, too. I'm not going to lie to you guys. I hit the jackpot. Like, she is the sweetest person I've ever met. And I don't know how I tricked her into dating me. Because I didn't do well the first couple times. I tried to date her. I didn't. Oh, yeah. Tell these stories. This, I think this was your biggest opportunity, AJ. Yeah. Well, you know, so I broke up with this girl that I dated for two years, you know, and it was a terrible mess. And I was one, you know, that guy that argued with his girlfriend every morning in school, like in homeroom? That was me. Yeah. So I look like a turd. Not a good relationship. Yeah. I look like the biggest turd in high school. But then I was like, hey, you know, I called her and I was like, oh, God. I hate telling this story. This is going to make me look really, really bad. You win or in the end? You win. I win. You win. So I was like, I'm going to call up Wendy. And I always thought she was cute. I played football with both her brothers. So I knew of her. I didn't know her well. But I know she was really cute. So I called her. I said, hey, we should hang out. She goes, okay. Give it a shot, I guess. And I was like, all right. Well, and then. Here we go. Like an idiot. I called her from her friend's house I went back to her friend's house The next day Did something I shouldn't have done With her friend So yeah We didn't ever go out on that date Yeah real idiot And you win her in the end Anyway I wish I could tell you that was the only time I did something stupid Similar Yeah so I was like hey you know what You should definitely come to one of my wrestling matches this is now we're in november december and uh she didn't say whether or not she was coming i just invited her i also invited another girl so i was gonna say who else did you invite i knew it was going there you didn't think they both show up yeah they did so yeah ruined it again were they sitting next to each other no but i think she she goes on to tell the story she saw me kiss her oof yeah I don't know at least I'm not the smartest kid I'm getting that right now you know then I straightened up and basically got on so how did you ultimately win her I begged her to go out how long after that moment probably it was I can tell you it was January I had to start working on her from January to February 14th that's not that long it took me a whole month I'm going to her homeroom every morning she never looked for me I had to go to her home room every morning and and talk to her and and say nice things and sweet things in her ear so that she'd given a give me another opportunity and uh sure enough uh and did she say twice two strikes she should have she certainly could have um but uh yeah the great thing about it is where her brothers like me and her dad like me so did she have her eye on you i don't think so no you don't think ever i no she didn't see you with her brothers or anything no no no chance and her homeroom teacher is not like get out of here well uh the teacher liked you too yeah i was i think i was a likable guy everybody's in honor i just made a lot of mistakes you know so yeah my my husband would say because Sometimes he's counseling our daughters with guys, you know, and he's like, yeah, honey, he's a teenage boy. He's stupid. No offense to teenage boys. Just you make some mistakes. You make some mistakes. Most of us are stupid. You learn, right? Yeah. I mean, I wanted to be like my older brother who, guess what, was stupid. Teenage boy. I made some mistakes. I wanted to be like him. Well, wait, but so then Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day. That's right. I said hey everybody's asking for a date and we should probably just make it official and yeah we did so I think the next week we went on a date to Burger King where she paid because I didn't have any money Junior Whoppers for all was that what you got yeah yeah I didn't pay for it I didn't have any money I didn't have a car I didn't have nothing but you were a real winner I did something you fucked up twice and then oh I'm sorry I cursed I know you don't curse what did you just curse I did I said fucked up oh Oh, you did? I didn't even hear it. I'm sorry, I might have repeated it. And then I was like, oh. Oh, well. I mean, I know you've obviously. Well, listen, you put me in the right situations. I'll drop some F-bombs. Oh, yeah, okay. But listen, you know I'm mad, though. Or something's really bothering me. If you actually use language. If one comes out. Language. And it's got to be up there, so. Yeah. And that's the same as up in our business. Yeah, well, I mean. Particularly when you're putting a match together. I found the most colorful language. And I'll F and go on over here, and I'll F and do that. Everything's an F. Everything is. Yeah. Mound, verb, adjective, it is everything. There's been times I go, how many F-bombs can you drop? It almost like you can but you proved otherwise You can put a match together So yeah but mine like look I going to freaking go over here And then when you freaking come over here everybody who knows me they like he says freak a lot He says freak. He's freaking freak, freak, freak. So it's all the same, I think. Valentine's Day is coming. And whether you're doing something big or keeping it low key, the best gift you can give is showing up as the best version of yourself. That's where Game Day Men's Health comes in. They offer premium in-person men's health care focused on optimizing testosterone, energy, focus and overall performance with real testing, face to face visits and personalized treatment plans. No long waits. No online guesswork. If you've been feeling tired, foggy, or just not quite like yourself, this is your sign to get checked. Book your free in-clinic consultation at gamedaymenshealth.com and start feeling like yourself again, just in time for Valentine's Day. Well, I happen to have a message from your wife. Oh. If I may read it. Okay. And I won't look at you while I read it, so it won't be weird. Okay. Okay. Because these are her words. All right. To my loving husband whom I call Alan, and the world calls the phenomenal AJ Styles. Growing up, who knew I would marry a wrestler? Sure, I would watch wrestling with my grandmother, but I never had a desire to marry one. Well, we paid for our small wedding with money made by your short stint in the WCW when you started chasing this dream. You always told me to trust you that you would make it. never once did you doubt yourself as your bride i trusted you and even encouraged you to go when the wwe came knocking very early in your career i believe that required you to move to cincinnati i was in college at the time as a young married couple you refused you chose me even when i was pushing you to go you politely declined the offer you always said we would do this together and not apart. Together we have. You have traveled the world wrestling and conquered what many only dream of accomplishing. You have put God and your family first in this business. I truly believe God opened every door and allowed not just you, but our family to walk through them. For that, I am eternally grateful. You wanted to beat the house. Well, you did. A phenomenal career. Four amazing and individually gifted kids and a loving, always supportive wife who has stood beside you the entire time. You won. Come home. The phenomenal times are just beginning. I love you, babe. That's really good. That's stupid. No, it's beautiful It's beautiful Well I mean she's my biggest fan You know Clearly Totally supported me Even going to indie shows And I bet those sucked So what would you say to her That you feel comfortable sharing I am nothing without her I would have nothing without her Like everything I've done and the decisions I've made are based on us. And because of those decisions, I think I was blessed because of it. If I hadn't have turned down, you know, WWE at the time, well, I believe HWA was in Cincinnati. That was a developmental area. And within like six months or something like that, it went out. WWE stopped using them. And I would have went out with them. so because I put her first I didn't have to go through that and even though I didn't get to WWE until years later I still got here I was at TNA for 11 years went to Japan for a couple years and then came here but all that was for a reason I don't think it was by a mistake at all I think everything happens for a reason the timing was perfect from when I came I wouldn't have made it any other time I don't think I would have survived. I don't think I would have been well when it comes to being ribbed backstage or something like that. You've got a dumb redneck kid that will fight you, and then I'll get fired. But we didn't have to go through that when I got here. Actually, I was pretty respected by the time I got to the WWE. So I'm thankful for everything that we went through, and we went through it together, and there's been ups and downs, and it's been hard times and lonely times. So for us to still be together after all these years and everything that we've been through, I think that says a lot about how we feel about each other. I feel like you read that to try to see if you can make me cry. No. Because you did. I think it's beautiful, and I think love is so beautiful, especially true love and the devotion that you have for one another and to want to put her first and your family first. how did you come from being that dumb kid you know who screwed up twice and marry this woman who you adore and know that you were always no matter what going to put her first and i don't i how do you answer that just this is the way it's supposed to be that's the way it is my job is to take care of her she's my wife and who taught you that because it didn't sound like you learned that growing up by example or did you no i mean i i guess i knew like i knew my dad loved me and i knew he loved his mom he just had some stuff that he was dealing with that we had no idea you know and that it destroyed uh his marriage and him to an extent. But being a grown man now, I understand that. But I wasn't letting... My example is my faith and what I believe. I'm a Christian. I believe in Jesus. I believe he died for my sins. And I know that love conquers all. And when her and I got married, we are now one. We're not separate. We're one. My job is to take care of her, to love her as Christ loved the church. And I can tell you, we are the church, and he loves us more than you can ever know. And that's how I feel about my wife. I love her. She's the most special person. This sucks. No. Can I tell you how much this is going to mean to her to watch this? It's so beautiful. It's so beautiful. just as long as she knows I love you that I love her especially when those times come when I really piss her off because nobody can piss her off like me I can tell you that right now that's because she loves you I'm going to kill you when she gets fired up that little thing she's only 4 foot 10 and she's like a ball of fire can you calm down quick tempered no she's not but once she gets there it's go time don't mess with her guys leave her alone the only people she cusses at is our kids. She doesn't cuss either. They do that to you. Can you stop calling them? Well, you have four of them. She doesn't call them like big names, but she has to let them know that she's serious. Right. Get your ass over. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Yeah. So, you know, but yeah, it's not like we're, she's dropping some bombs, but I'm like, but I'm just like, hey, can even, I'm like, can you just calm down a little bit? You just maybe need to walk around the house. Yeah. I gotta get out of here so we've taken her toll on mom in the Stiles household bunch of guys and then two little women you know and then sometimes my daughter's on our side so everybody is mom that's not fair mom's alone mommy's holding down the fort while you're gone and then you come back and they all side with you you know what the crazy thing is I'll tell you this You would lose it. And, you know, WWE has changed so much since I first started. You know, it was five days a week when I first got here, and it was tough. Yeah. I'm sure it's been like that for a long time. But now— And before that, it was even worse. Yeah, it was even worse. Yeah. Weeks. That's probably why so many guys, you know, got a divorce back then. Yeah, for sure. Because it was so tough. And the technology didn't exist. Right. It was a lot harder to stay in touch. No FaceTime, you know. It's a lonely road out there. You miss a lot. You know, when my son was being born, I had to go do an Indy in Hawaii. Sounds awesome. Hawaii? Yeah. I was the most miserable man on that island. I bet. You know, because I wanted to be home with my son. You know, he was a newborn, you know. I just couldn't wait to be there. So, but being gone so much. And how strong your wife is. Oh, dude. That she had these babies without you there. I cut every umbilical cord though. I never missed it. You were there. I was there for their births. Every one of them. Oh, you did make it. Yeah, I was there. Oh, so she was just in labor. But no, she was never in labor. I was somehow always there at the time. But being gone, literally right after, that was tough. And for her to raise them. So what I realized after now the schedule not even being close to as difficult as it was, I had made her put my kids first because I wasn't there. So now I'm home. Like, hey, here I am. Hey, give me some attention. She ain't got time. You know, she's dedicated all her time to those kids. And so it was hard to get used to being home. Like, hey, I want to be important. Daddy's own. Yeah. So I put that on her. You know, that was difficult times right there. I mean, it's getting better now. But, you know, that was the thing that we got to realize as men, as wrestlers, is that sometimes we've forced our wives into a place where they have to put the kids first. That's not how it's supposed to be. I don't think my kids should come before me. And my kids shouldn't come before my wife. That's not we are one. We can make more you. So they shouldn't come between us. But, you know, it was my fault that she had to put them first. She had to take care of them. It was just them. Yeah. So how is it going to be when you're home now? I don't know. Do you think you're going to earn the spot? It's a possibility. How's it going to feel being number five? Yeah. I got to make my way back to number one. I don't know how to do that. But I'm assuming that, you know, we get up and we go for a walk in the morning, have some brunch, talk about things we don't get to talk about, make her mad. and work out together, stuff like that we get to do. I think it's going to be fun. Sounds great. It does. It does, and she's ready for it. I think so. Yeah. I think so. She's definitely ready for me to come home. And you've been gone almost the whole time, right? Yeah. So you're going to have a little adjustment period. I know. There were times when I would go home and I would screw everything up. I was like oh they're not supposed to be up past this time I just wanted to hang out with them you know no I know I definitely kept the kids up late Elise and I would talk about this all the time because I'd leave the office so late and I was like well I'm sorry but you gotta keep them up a little longer I'm talking to the nanny you know like I just mommy's on her way home mommy's on her way home just so I could have five minutes you know before they went to bed just read them a story just hold them you know it was it's not easy that's the sacrifice though yeah like a lot of people don't understand uh because they only hear the funny stories and stuff right have on the road we don't tell them the the bad ones we don't want to think about it so we don't tell anybody that we just tell them the funny stuff but there's there's some sacrifice that goes on where you're missing a lot of birthdays a lot a lot of daddy-daughter dances performances football games I called my son from Japan he got hurt he was like one of the main kids on the team and they were in the championship game and I had to coach him back into the game and they ended up winning with a lot of his help but that's some things that I missed out on I loved watching them But you were still there for him when he needed you. I'd like to think so. Yeah. There's times where, you know, I'm sure there was times where little boys were running up, running their, you know, hugging their dads after the big game. I wasn't there. Or his wasn't there. So, but mom was, you know, mom was always there. I remember, you know, he made a run. And we're talking about Pee Wee, the little Pee Wee football where. Yeah, but it's a big deal. His helmet's bigger than his body. the shoulder pads you know and i hear the story about my little four foot ten wife he makes the the scoring touchdown with no time in the game left and scores a touchdown she jumps over a fence and runs on oh my god that could have been me you know so how cute but i will say this when um so my daughter my wife texted me this this was like maybe two or three weeks ago and my daughter said to my wife, everybody thinks that I am lucky because I have AJ Styles as my dad. But they're the lucky ones because their dad gets to come home. Oh. And now you do. And now I'm going to the daddy-daughter dance. When is it? The 11th. Oh, awesome. I'm going to be there in my little khaki pants and we're going to have a couple dances and me and the dads are going to sit and talk together and then we may have a couple dances with our daughters and then the daughters will have fun without it. They mostly dance with their friends. Oh, yeah. And nor would you want to be a part of it sometimes. Yeah, I'll go in there and give a couple twirls, you know, when it's the big daddy. But a lot of times it's just me and the dad's going, you know, talking about eating some banana pudding or something. Yeah, no, Paul's been. We have, I just actually, because my oldest is going to be, this year she'll be 20. my middle will be 18 and my baby will be 16 and so they're done with their daddy daughter dances and I just put together this whole wall it wraps all the way down our staircase and it's the princess ball that's what they called it so it's the daddy daughter dance pictures and it's like key moments and it's in chronological order and it's like just finished this project with this guy that I work with who's just amazing but really tells the story. Our kids are the same age. Mine's 20, 18, and 16. The boys are. How old's your daughter? She's 11. She was the sweetest surprise. I'm like, wait, 16? Five years? Yeah, my wife had an IUD. Oh, shit. So it really wasn't supposed to happen. It was meant to happen. Unexpected. We weren't trying to make it happen. It was meant to happen. yes yeah that just goes to show you she's not one in a million she's one in whatever billions of billions of billions because you gotta think what it is like for us to be born in the first place it's crazy and then she was able to find a way to get through an IUD that was my reaction which was in there perfectly it was 99.9% effective for some guys I guess some guys are special you know yeah some guys don't know they don't have what it takes I guess you know they don't give up yeah that's right that's right it's definitely in your blood that's right so yeah listen I've told my boys like she is my favorite sorry just so you guys know she tells me she loves me for no reason I'll take that all day long oh it's not for no reason well I mean I guess not but I didn't do anything and she is lucky she has AJ Styles as her dad well I'd like to think so but I guess it makes it easier when I'm home and she's able to see him right and you will be and she wants you home I mean imagine it could have been worse right she doesn't want you to come home she could be like my boys 16 maybe I don't know those teenagers hey guys what's up dad dad's home Is there, like, do you hug and kiss your sons? So if I ever leave and they're home, everybody gets a kiss and a hug before I leave. I will never leave without doing that because you never know what can happen. You never know, it's true. So, yeah, there's been many a times, and as they've gotten older, right, I go in there and kind of just squeeze them. And you're like, hey, hey, hey. Like there's some old man, come here, bro. And they'll give me the hug. So that's, I actually love that when they do that. It makes me feel good. And they haven't reached a point where they're like, Dad, I can't kiss you anymore. Well, we kind of stopped the kissing. Like if they're asleep and it's kind of hard to put my hands on them, I'll give them a little kiss on the forehead or something like that. Yeah, I remember my dad saying that about my brother. Yeah, there was a time where I used to love snuggling to the boys. I'm like, here boy, let me snug you up, you know. And sometimes I just go and like, you know, see what they're doing. and we'd be in their bed and we'd just snuggle it up. And then there was one time I was like, wait a second. I'm like, you're like a man. I was like, this is weird. So I got in the bed with my other son. I was like, I don't know, man, this guy. It's weird. This grown-ass man in my bed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it wasn't cool. In your race car. I was totally picturing like the kiddie bed and he's like, wait a minute. Well, you know, my oldest son, we got a new bed and he wanted our bed, you know, the big king size bed. So, you know, we had plenty of room, but this guy would sleep with so many blankets. I would go to wake him up for school. I'm like, where the freak is he? I'm looking under blankets trying to find him. Twelve layers deep. He got mad at me one time and I went to pick him up. Like at night, he got mad at me. I forgot. I made him go to bed. And I go to get him up for school. Couldn't find him. I was like, where the frick? I'm lifting all the blankets. Where is he? Where the frick is he? Is he in the bed? Did he get in my bed? I don't know. I'm looking for him. This turd went to sleep under his bed. Oh, my goodness. Put his pillow and a blanket under the bed and slept under it. Was he scared? I guess not. I feel like it's the reverse of being scared. Yeah, I went to wake him up. He's under the bed. That's really scary. I mean, what is that decision to go to sleep under the bed? You're just like really mad. Yeah, he was really mad. That's like a stubborn. Yeah, he was really mad. Oh, so that was defiant. Yeah. Okay. I'm not going to sleep on top of that. Dad's going to wake me up and I'm not going to be there and he's going to be so sad. And then he falls asleep. But he fell asleep. I don't think he meant to. Oh, okay. I thought it was like pillow and blanket under there. He did, but there's no way he thought, I'm going to sleep under here, right? I think he did. How old was he? Probably like seven. Yeah, totally. he could have. Maybe he did. I used to love ports and closets and we had a fold-out sofa that you could actually, there was probably a little dangerous, but you could fold up in it in a way that there was like a space. Do you know what I'm talking about? I know exactly what you're talking about. Absolutely. Let's put this couch up. So you went back into your couch. I loved hiding under that space. Yeah, no one would find you. But I could have gone to sleep there. For sure. Yeah, no, no. My son is six, and he's definitely not. He's coming running to our room. No, like I'm just six hours there. Oh, yeah. No, we made a big mistake on my first son. We had him in the bassinet, you know, beside the bed when he was little. But I found myself waking up, like laying over the bassinet, because I was just worried that, you know, what if he stops breathing? Yeah, you're looking for the... I'll put him in the bed with us. Oh, no. Yeah. He never made it to his crib. Yeah. Yeah. Until he was 20. So. Until he was how old? He was probably at least three. Oh, okay. And they often on, when I was gone, would sleep with their mom. Yeah. All of them would. Yeah, that's. Yeah, when Paul's gone, my kids still sleep with me, my girls. Oh, my daughter still sleeps. She's like, hey, dad, now that you're home, I'm going to make sure I sleep in my bed a lot. I'm like, oh, really? Guess where she slept last night? We have a couch bed. You know, the one you're talking about? Yeah, yeah. She pulls that little thing out. She gets right on there. She sleeps on there. I was like, come on, man. I thought you were going to sleep in your bed. I'm going to when you get home tomorrow. Tomorrow. She's a liar. And you're going to let her. Yeah. Because you can't say no to her. No. It's really hard, guys. And she used to sleep with us all the time. And I loved it. But I'd have nightmares. Oh. Because, like, something happened to her. So there's been so many times. Wendy my wife wake up and I've got my daughter in her arm my arms going she goes what are you doing? I go I don't know but she's okay that's all I care about I put her down but that happened so much I was like you can't sleep with us when I'm home I have nightmares just I felt like something's happened to her or something I don't know I think that has a lot to do with things you've seen in your life I just have seen that pattern. I wasn't like that with my boys. Yeah, right. It's your daughter. Yeah, I don't know. There's something about her that... Yeah, because you know, I think, because it's your job to protect her. Right. I mean, your whole family, but especially your baby girl. Of course. Right? Yeah. So that's like, you're wired for that. Yeah. Oh, man. I dare anybody. I will take joy. my husband has a shirt that says anything you do to my daughter I do to you she just wears a shirt that says I'm triple H I just feel like no one's look at their dad it can attract the right kind of guy who's going to be nervous or it can attract the wrong kind of guy who doesn't care yeah I don't know how I'm going to be with guys and my daughter I can't promise you I feel bad for them I hope they hear this and know that one day when they try to date my daughter it's not going to be easy she might not appreciate this though they said usually you marry someone similar to your father I'm not good enough so good luck to anybody else trying to date my daughter she's dating someone like me screwed that up don't worry she's 11 I know I think about it all the time remember when he said if you get mad enough he might start swearing hey you little mother he figured it out that's how yes unlock the key that would send me over the edge I don't know I talked about you know some little boy doing something not anything bad, just be a mean-toer and not have to go beat up his dad. Right. Oh, yeah. Remember I told you my daughter, one of my daughters was getting bullied, and that's exactly what Paul said. He's like, well, I'm gonna, I have to go be the shit out of her dad. Yeah. So they make shirts now where they're like on Etsy or it says, if your kid's mean, I hope you can fight. Or if your kid's a bully, I hope you can fight. Oh. Just saying. Sounds right to me. Yeah, like the mom would wear it. So it says if your kid's a bully, I hope. Yeah. I don't own it. Actually, the maddest I've ever, like, and I'm quick-tempered. Really? I flash hot quick. Yeah. I'm also quick to calm down, I think. Totally. But I can get, yeah, I'm Irish. I just looked around the room and no one's reacting. So my daughter was in middle school and she's playing soccer and this girl comes over, checks her, and she hits the ground hard and hits the back of her head. And the dad is cheering on his daughter and they have this like moment. And I'm like, first and foremost, I want to make sure she's okay. So I go over to the sideline. I talk with her coach I check on my baby girl and she fine She wants to get back in the game Didn see stars No signs of concussion or anything Like okay And I said hey coach that man over there is he one of the coaches of the other team or is he a dad? And they said, no, he's a dad. I was like, okay, thank you. So I now go back around on the sideline. I'm going to try to, like, not get mad on camera here. I can feel it. And I say, hey, just so you know, there's no checking. And actually in this league, you know, apparently there's no checking in soccer anyway, but I didn't actually know that. I was like in this league, you know, middle school, like, come on. And and he fires up on me and you don't know what you're talking about. And I'm like, so I go to walk away and I'm going to do it from this side, even though it was this side, because I'm going to knock the microphone out of my hand. And he grabs my arm. Shut up. As I go to walk away. and I throw my arm and I said, take your fucking hands off me and I get in his face, asshole and I'm like ready to beat the shit out of this guy, which I have no, like I don't think I really would be able to but his eyes went wide and he took a step back and I was like, that's right motherfucker. I knew it, I knew it. That sounds like the appropriate words to use in that situation. teaching your kid to hurt another child and also touching you and then yeah has he seen your slap? but when I told Paul because he wasn't there of course, that's what happened because we're never there when that kind of thing happens there's been times I'm like drives you crazy it wouldn't have happened if we would have been there that's the problem yeah well it happened and this is your oldest daughter? this is my middle daughter so triple H you know triple H oh yeah in his prime he's definitely not doing anything he's definitely not grabbing you by the arm either oh yeah yeah it wouldn't happen so just enjoy that moment that you got to cuss this guy I'm still so mad about it this just drives me crazy you probably scared the shit out of him that's what his eyes went wide and he stepped back. I was like, okay, but it could have gone the other way. You know, you never know. He was such a jerk. Yeah. Like to grab my arm like that. I've never really ran into that situation. I'd hope to one day. He's like, now that I'm home, I hope the situation arises. Yeah. I mean, I'm ready. Like, Hey dude, you got to swing first. Cause I don't trust you that you won't sue me. So he's swinging. Exactly. And then I'm going to murder you. Yes. I've, I've, when Paul and I were first dating, they're like it's funny because I'm on the phone with my mom who has many stories about my dad who's very hot tempered as you might imagine and for some reason we're at a standoff at a stop sign it's like a four way intersection this guy's being a dick and I'm on the phone with my mom and Paul's like getting madder and madder and yelling flipping this guy off like mad you know you could like flip someone but he's like angry flipping him off like he means it and then all of a sudden he's out of the car and I'm like oh mom gotta go things have escalated and she's like sweetheart it's okay I've been in these situations before just trying to be calm I'm like what madness is this and I'm like but Paula you can't touch him he's gonna like sue you for everything before we had kids I mean obviously we weren't even married yet but just those moments you guys are like all ready to go you just need a reason Oh, I can tell you one, maybe five years ago that happened. I was taking, I had my kids, at least one or two, maybe a nephew with me. And we're going to the IHOP. But I pull out and this guy's just on my tail. I'm like, what? I was like, hey, I see you in the mirror. Ooh, I'm, you know. Right. I'm not worried about it. He passes me. It was no passing thing. He just passes me on the short street. And then as I'm about to turn into where I'm going, he pulls in front of me and literally I pull that over and I was like yes and I get out of the car and you'll appreciate this he goes I ain't scared of you I said I bet you are mother and I turn and he goes Alan and I go huh I was like oh crap this guy knows me so apparently he wrestled for the other team in high school that I wrestled for and as soon as he said Alan like he knew who I was. Yeah, like who you really are. And I was like, you know what, man? We're done. My bad. But I can tell you this. When he knew who I was, his freaking eyeballs popped out of his head. He knew what was about to happen to him. I promise you that. He's like, oh, Alan! But it was, there was a moment there. They couldn't wait to tell their mom, like, dad, You shouldn't have seen what dad was. He was going to kill this guy. But... Your kids were with you? Well, I think two and a nephew. Oh, okay. Not all of them. Yeah, not all of them. But it was the boys. Yes. Yes. What would you have done if your daughter was in the car? I think you would have been different. Lock the car. No, I'd be like... Boys, protect your sister. I'll be back in a second. Big news, WWE and sports fans. The world's number one sports fan festival, Fanatics Fest, is making its return to New York City. Fanatics is bringing you closer to the leagues, teams, superstars, and athletes you love across four action-packed days in July. Meet your favorite WWE superstars, get your hands on exclusive merch, catch live podcasts, and interact with the biggest names in sports. 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With each card only available for a limited time, you won't want to wait to begin your Topps Now journey. Be sure to subscribe to the WWE Topps Now mailing list on Topps.com and follow Topps on all social media platforms so you never miss a single moment. So I was also, we were pulling up, we were in Bridgeport and we were going to this sneaker store. And my daughter, my oldest daughter had just gotten her license. And there was a really tricky intersection and I was driving and I was meeting her there. So for some reason, I had this like feeling something was going to happen, but I didn't know what it was. And I was just really on edge. And I drive into the sneaker store parking lot. I'm on the phone with her and I'm watching her in my rearview mirror because I can see her now at this intersection. And then I see her start to go. This guy swerve, cut her off, peel around. he chases her into the parking lot and he pulls his car around. This is a man. She's 16. She parks. He pulls this way and I am out of the car and I am coming. Have you ever been so mad you see white? Oh. I've been so mad I don't remember what I've done. Yeah. Like it's this weird other time and space you're in. Yes. Heat and white light and it's like the blood's just rushing in your ears. You don't hear or like nothing. It's just, yeah, tunnel vision on this guy. And I'm like, I don't know what I'm gonna do, but like, even if I'm sacrificing myself, but he is not getting to my daughter. And my daughter said the greatest thing in the world. She said as soon as she saw me come and she knew she was okay. Yes. So what ended up happening? He's no longer with us. Here I come. And I must have had quite a look on my face because once again, this guy who's kind of a scrawny little guy truthfully like I think I stood somewhat of a chance unless he was on something but he I wish he very well could have been and he looked up at me and saw me coming and his eyes went wide and he stumbled back into his car and took off with his legs still sticking out of the car and I am chasing this car cursing this kid he was man cursing this man and he peeled out of the parking lot and that's my story i'm gonna call up but he could have hit me with his car i mean he could have done a million different things you know but i knew he wasn't getting to her well dude uh there's something about moms that you guys can sense something about to happen you guys your intuition is ridiculous it's like that it is like that i don't have it i don't have that kind of i'm like they're fine no yeah something's off moms have this this thing about them they can feel it coming. So yeah. I get it. I don't see it. I would never see it. I am oblivious to pretty much anything. I just think everything's fine until it's blatant. It has to be obvious. We're going to need the footage from that shit store. There has to be some security camera footage. You just go like full. And then after the guy peels out. Then this woman pops out of one of the stores. Do you need any help? I'm like, not anymore. Took care of it. You could have called the cops. Like, do you need any help? She saw you turning into the Hulk. You need any help? Oh, ma'am, I wasn't talking to you. Sir, are you okay? This guy's 120 pounds of mustache. Oh my God. He's scared to death. He looked kind of like, a little bit like Eminem. Oh. A little bit. No disrespect to Eminem. No. Oh my God, we should count that. I don't mean to disrespect Eminem. Eminem's very little. Just the hate starts with blonde-headed, skinny dude. But he was like a smaller, tough, scrappy-looking kind of guy, you know? And he drove away with like one foot out the door? Well, that party didn't look like Eminem. When I saw him, I should just stop referencing. I mean, I got an idea of what he looks like at least. We're going to get him on the pod to talk about it. I just need a description of what he looked like. But he was bald. Wait a minute. Now you've thrown everything. He was a white skinny guy? Is that what you're saying? So no blonde hair. No blonde hair. I thought that was the M&M reference. Wife beater? White, dirty white t-shirt. Okay, maybe that's what it was. And jeans. Okay. He just doesn't sound very intimidating at this point now that you've described him. Well, he was to me. I feel like maybe you won't do the thing where like you describe it to the people and they draw. Oh, yeah. I feel like we. But I because I couldn't really see him truthfully. Well, you know what? You probably forgot what he looks like. Honestly, it was just a threat for the best. Like I don't like when you're that angry. Yeah. You don't even know what you're saying. You're just stuff just coming out your mouth. So I actually said, you know, and I was recapping the story to my children. Hey, you pipsqueak. Trying to tell them. And like, and I said, and I didn't even curse. My niece who was there was like, she was like, oh, yeah. She's so mad she forgot how to curse. Stream of consciousness of curses. Oh, yeah. No doubt. I mean, you blew my mind when you said you saw white. Like you went past red. Oh, no, no. It went right. It is a different. I haven't been there. I'm not trying to go there. Yeah, that's a different level. Yeah. Just red. Just hot, though. Yeah. And you're mad. You start sweating. Yeah. It's 60 degrees. so it's about that time which feels great outside. Right, you're not supposed to be sweating. Right, yeah. Yeah, that happens to women as we get older anyway. I know. Yeah. I don't like going through that with you guys. It's rough. It's a rough patch. And by that I mean with my wife. I know what you meant. It sucks. What do you mean? I just, don't touch me. Listen. I just got in the bed. You're home now. I didn't even do anything. Yeah, but you're thinking about it. Well, yeah. Yes. I feel like we need a series of you at home now? Oh, yes. That's a reality show. At home with AJ? Yeah. It'd be quite boring, honestly. Oh, that's fun. I'm not that entertaining, to be honest with you. You don't think? We'd have to ham it up somehow. It's a lot of Wendy washing the dishes or making some dinner and me slapping her on the butt every time I go by. Not that entertaining. It's not that entertaining. Her reaction might be. does it change will you stop really the thing is though my husband says yeah but if I didn't do it you'd be mad that's probably true actually I have seen that meme where it's like the husband's always slapping the wife she's in the kitchen she's doing laundry she's doing whatever and she gets annoyed every time and then the one time he doesn't do it she starts crying and she says he's going to leave me. Something's wrong. It's true. Yeah. I've doubted back, though. I will say that. I used to, like, pick her up and powerbomb her on the couch and stuff like that. See, I feel like this is fun. This is entertaining. It was, you know, when she was younger, I could do that. Now, she could break a hip, you know, or something. I don't know. I don't powerbomb her anymore. But I practiced a lot of wrestling moves on her, which was a bad idea. Yeah, there was... Did she get hurt? Oh. yes I mean no wonder she's not yeah she's tough she's not really a fan of it listen speaking I you know the the fold out couch beds yeah so I don't know why but I grabbed her in the pedigree and I jumped on the couch oh no you know to give her the pedigree her face is gonna hit the cushion so her face went through the through the yeah where the cushions meet right into the metal part of the bed oh that must have hurt so bad oh my I heard it oh I just heard it did she did herself forehead hit metal no No, she didn't, but I was like, oh, oops. Oh, sorry, honey. Sorry, baby. Sorry about that. That wasn't supposed to happen. I remember her sitting in like just the living room and the floor, you know, doing something. And I go to give her a kick in the back, you know, a wrestling kick. This sounds like my brother. It was a real one. I totally just punted her in the back and she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. There was another instance where I knocked her like almost through the refrigerator. and it's like, all right, I got to stop. I got to stop. Calm this shit down. This is getting ridiculous. We're going to have to go to the doctor if I keep on doing this. Sorry, sweetheart. The punt to the back. I can hear the sound. I know the sound it makes. Yeah. It's like a hollow. It was bad. Well, she didn't cry because she couldn't breathe. Yeah. It must have been so unexpected. Yeah. To just be sitting there. and I did being sweet and peaceful and I just kick her in the back. She's crocheting. Yeah. Whatever the most peaceful thing is, she was doing it. Napping. And yeah. Oh, I did stitching. She's crocheting. I did the wrong gesture. Yeah, she's super old, I guess. She's an old soul crocheting. This is in the future. Well, that's now. She's 46. She was doing the dishes. Like, she's not in her rocking chair. Yeah. Yeah. She's walking in with her cane. That's how you see. It's not Grandma Wendy. Well, look at her. She takes it to the extreme, right? Like, oh, this old lady. Good grief. That's Steph in a nutshell. Oh, no. Punting her in the back. God bless her. I feel bad about that. You should. And dropping her in the sofa. You're perfectly safe, honey. Just tuck your head. Oh, I didn't tell her anything. I just gave it to her. She had no choice. She was taking it. This would be a great time to read that message. Yeah, like, should I read that again? Just a reminder. No, no, don't read it again. I feel bad. You know what, though? Speaking of, that was not the only message that we have. So our team was able to capture some remarks that wanted to play for you. All right. A hell of a worker. A hell of a teammate. You know, just an old-ass video game brother. You know what I mean? But that reflects, I think, who he is as a person, the discipline that he has, being involved in professional wrestling, being on the road, but continuing to stay true to being a family man, being a father. Just happy that I was able to make some art with them when our time came a few years ago. It would have been cool to be able to run it back and do it again, explore new chapters of what we could do together, because there's just an unintended, a phenomenal chemistry there. So, big out. Have fun, be safe, brother, and we'll see you down the road. What I really respect about him is the kind of husband and the kind of father he is. AJ, if you're listening to this man, I love you, buddy. I wish you the best. And thanks for the good times inside the ring and out. I don't know anybody who has been a better positive influence in the locker room than you in my time here. So, thank you so much for being you. AJ, it's special to a lot of people. But for me, it's more than that. One of my best friends, also, sometimes I feel like my brother. I miss him already. Hi, my name is Anthony Cairo, and I've been a social media producer with WWE since 2016. If you're watching, brother, I just want to say thank you for everything you've done for us. Sorry that we've annoyed you with so many little requests over the years. And brother, I know whatever you do next is going to be special. And just thank you for everything and good luck to you. Because of AJ Styles, I made my way into TNA, which helped me get my way into WWE, helped me find the new day, helped me create that, and helped me have the career that I've had. So I want to say thank you, AJ. You are the man. So sad to see you go, but happy that we got the time with you that we did. My favorite match ever to this day, 2005 lockdown, first lockdown, steel cage, you and me. My single greatest match I ever had because of you. God bless you, Wendy, your children. Have a great retirement. I love you to death, I always will. AJ, what to say buddy? I've been really weirdly, disproportionately emotional about the thought of you leaving. I don't know, it's doing something to me, man. You wouldn't want me to get emotional. Because it'll make you emotional. So we won't do that now. And I'll miss you. I am thankful to have AJ as a WWE superstar, as a friend. And I'm going to miss him a lot. Because AJ is one of those guys that you want to have around. But now he gets time to have his time with his family. Be with them. So I guess I'm thankful for that too. I feel so happy for him that he's able to retire with his health. and AJ I just want to say congratulations on such an incredible career and from a personal standpoint I want to say thank you because you've always been such a constant source of inspiration for me and I know we've had very similar career paths but I hope you know that I've always, always looked up to you. For me, you are the benchmark for what it is to be a professional both inside and outside of the ring. I'm very grateful that I got the opportunity to share the last 10 years with you here in this company. I know we kind of dodged each other a lot on the indies. You were in TNA, I was in Japan. When you came to Japan, I went to NXT, so we missed each other for a long time. But I feel like getting to know you over the last 10 years on a personal level and in the ring, and just witnessing how great and phenomenal you really are, I want to say thank you for being AJ Styles. that was tough I've always wanted you know these guys that and even the girls in the locker room to see me that way like I always wanted to be just you know one of those guys where you know the old saying is that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care so I just I'm just glad that they see me in that light. That's what you strive for. And there's business for them to say that and be... That's what it is, man. That's what I'm going to miss the most is those guys and hanging out with them, spending time with them. Brotherhood. Yep, that's it. When you're alone and you got no one, But, like, it's nice to have those guys around that you can, you know, everybody has problems, stuff they're going through, and be able to bounce them off them knowing that you're not alone. It means everything, everything. And, I mean, guys like Miz saying that stuff, like it's all he's done. And as long as he's been there, man, it makes you feel like a million bucks. Roman Reigns, him saying the Damian Priest, like there's – and then Finn. like you never knew sometimes you never know how much it means to somebody yeah but I'm glad that I never took a day off from trying to mean something to them you know I always wanted to be there for those guys and not just be another wrestler out there who thinks of himself but thinks of them first and what we could do together in that ring I think that's so perfectly said I've never heard it said so eloquently and it it is really hard right because this is your family too different family your road family Sean was Paul's road wife or Paul was his I'm not sure but that was always the joke but I also always I've had the privilege of bearing witness to it all, you know, and watching you guys and the women, but specifically watching you guys and what you've been through and hearing the stories and having a slight appreciation for what it means to be in the ring together. and you are gone from your family so much. And who do you share those hard times with? Them. And they're going through the same thing. A lot of them. And that very, very special brotherhood that you might, I don't know if you'll be in touch with them on a regular basis the same way you would, right, if you were there day in and day out. But when you do see each other, it's going to be like no time has passed. Right. You know. And it's, you know, it's when, you know, Xavier got me first. He got me choked up a little bit because, you know, I got him into TNA. And actually it was Wendy who said, hey, that Austin guy that you were working out with, you should see if he wants to. No, because we needed a guy. And he just kind of stepped up and was that guy. And so got him in the TNA, got him in the, and eventually he's in WWE. and when I seen that of him coming up, I don't know if you guys know, I'm fine. I was AJ Styles all the way from the end of the match all the way until I got to the back. First person I hugged was Chris Park, Abyss, and then so on, and Punk, and a lot of the other guys I hugged everybody in there and it was great You talking about in Saudi in saudi yeah and as soon as i walked around to leave it freaking hit me so then you see me power walking a little bit of running to get to where they were stacking the bags because i just made it my my locker room um and i i thought i shut the door it didn't shut apparently so i just had my back to the door and I'm just kind of try not to like the biggest baby in the world. Um, and Shane comes, Shane Helms comes up and just kind of grabs me, you know, and he says, you know, he just said, it was all right. You know, you're, you're good, man. You don't have to turn your back, you know, and meant so much for him to come up and see me. And then Jolene or, you know, It seems sure she came up and she's hugging on me. And then, you know, Xavier comes up and probably squeezed him the hardest because he's been, I've known him for so long and seen him do so well and so many different things. And likewise. So, yeah, it's just, it was a special moment. Like it wasn't, it's not a, I squeezed him hard. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like he's, he's my guy, man. So it's cool. I squeezed a lot of people hard that night, you know, but it's like you said, it's like we might not be able to talk to each other like we used to, but when we see each other, it's like no time has passed and like we still know each other, you know, it'll still be the biggest hug, you know? Yeah. I'll miss that. I really will. So let's hope, let's hope I find a way to... Stay connected. Yeah. Stay connected. Exactly. Yes. and I noticed it looked like you were going to put your gloves down, but then you didn't and you put them back on. What does that mean? I don't know. I don't know. I think. Because you know this is wrestling. I know. The door is always open is all I mean. I know. Never say never, right? That's the saying. And, you know, there's, I know there's, I think everybody's allowed at least once come out of retirement. for sure I'm not saying that I'll do it anytime soon I'm just saying that I mean has there been anybody who hasn't I don't know has there you know pretty much everyone who's retired has actually come back at least once I thought that was how it worked here yeah I mean it seems to be well I mean what if my son wrestles yeah the opportunity to tag with him once right you never know so there'll be a time where the gloves will never go back on and it may be now but we'll see do your sons show any interest? or your daughter? my second oldest is I'm working with him now so he's in it and then my daughter I've caught her many a times watching it and to the point I was like baby please turn that off I just came from work so uh i think they all got a little bit of it i think once my second oldest takes off my my oldest will probably end up going that way too and then who knows if my daughter my third son has nothing to do no anything sports whatsoever he doesn't care about it uh but you know it surprised me if my daughter got into it she'd be like the ray mysterio of the women's oh yeah she's tiny she's small but you know we'll see yeah Who knows? You never know. I never thought I would want my kids to wrestle. Right. But it's way different than it's ever been and a lot better than it's ever been when it comes to professional wrestling. It's done right at this point. So I'd be happy if they wrestled. Yeah. What about you? You want your daughters to wrestle? Absolutely. I've seen them. I've seen them in Gorilla. They were. So my oldest has been in the ring with Natty and Charlotte and she's trained a little bit. But when she was really, she was younger, like eight to 10, you know, and my niece trained a little bit. But she had a knack for it, as you can imagine. But so I remember because I used to go on the road with with Paul, you know, and our I brought our kids with us. So she came, we were in Waco, Texas, and she was nearly two, maybe not quite, because I don't remember how pregnant I was. But we're there, and it was DX against I don't know who, and she was on my shoulders. And it was boggling my mind that she started to get excited as Sean's coming over to make the hot tag because they were getting the heat on Uncle Sean. And then he's like, you know, desperately trying to make the tag. And he makes the tag to Paul slash Hunter. And she starts jumping up and down like on my shoulders. She's a baby. I'm like, oh, shit, she gets it. And she's like totally reacting, loving all the right moments, like really getting it. And he is so proud when he comes back from the ring and sees her on my shoulders. that even though we have discussed not ever having our kids when they were babies on television or in the public, he then takes her off my shoulders and parades her around the arena because he's so proud, right? And when he hands her back to me, her eyes were this big. And I was like, oh, my goodness. You know the moment when they get bit by the bug? She got bit in that moment. And she wasn't even two years old. I mean, it was unbelievable. And so, yes, she's always had an interest in it. Always. She's in school to get her doctorate of physical therapy, and she wants to work with kids, so she has a whole other path. That's what my son's going to. Really? Yes. Yeah, he plays baseball in college. Does she play softball? She's a catcher. How tall is she? She's 5'11". She's a tall girl. Yeah. She won't like my son. There was some synergy there for a minute. We're not doing well unless she wants a short king, you know? You know what I'm saying? You never know. We're not doing too well in the tall department. Mine seem to be skyrocketing. Well, I mean, you and Hunter are tall people. Me and my wife are not. They're like, thanks, Dad. I'm like, I didn't know she was cute. I don't know what to tell you. She was cute. So, yeah. We're not... We've got to marry tall women to break this mold. okay so see then maybe that's the path yeah well it's like hey man are you setting up your children know you're a short king brother yeah there you go about short i guess that's average height but still when your daughter's 5 11 yeah i felt like your oldest daughter i was i remember the first time i saw her i was like oh my god she cloned her she cloned stephanie people do think she looks a lot like me yeah she she really did like the younger pictures of you like as an eight-year-old model or whatever. No, but really the face and same color hair. Yeah. But she looks the most like you, I think. The oldest, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I'm so proud. I saw her backstage and I was like, there she is. Just so proud of her. Like all of them. I just really am. I'm so proud. It's the greatest gift in the world. They're the best entertainment I've ever had and the worst people you'll ever meet. It's amazing. because they're showing you they're human right and they're showing you all sides of themselves and as their parents that's why we're there to protect and guide them right and teach them but you do see all their sides you know there's been many times like dude i'm gonna kill you i'm gonna murder you like so but then there's you're so proud of them like like as much as i love playing sports i'd rather watch them play oh yeah you know oh it's the greatest feeling in the world when i watch a roar hit a home run oh it's the best it's the best feeling it's the best how nervous like that do you think they have any idea how nervous we are no step up to the plate come on dude i can't sit oh man it's it's it's unreal yeah it's it's the greatest and now you have the opportunity to be home and to watch those games and to be with your family and you're always still a part of this bigger wrestling family that we're all a part of and i'm just so grateful that i've had this opportunity to get to know you but that i've had the opportunity to interact with you you know for all these years even though we never had the chance to have a storyline together or anything that would have been fun to slap me because you know why because it's what i was just gonna say it's not too late but no no it is it is apparently it is it is for both of us he said maybe but what you talk about what you bring to the ring is intensity right right and that i'm the same you have to bring everything you have to make it feel right i agree i totally agree like no wasted movement yeah everything has to count uh i know what i know i'm not the biggest guy but when we get in the ring you're gonna think i'm i'm i'm right there with you like i'm gonna be a heavyweight you know that's everything i do is with intent yeah and i think you know as long as you have that it doesn't matter what size you are everything in life as well or in the ring in the ring is definitely intent uh like life some things you maybe not so balls to the wall you know to do yeah it'll get you in trouble but but with With intention, you know. With the right intentions. Yes, yes. For sure. Oh, for sure. And I think in life, I always said wrestling's a lot like life. It's experience. It is. And the more experience you have, the better you're going to be able to navigate through it. So, I mean. What other lessons as we sort of wrap this up? Because, you know, I know you're going to have many moments, right? And hopefully we have the opportunity to capture a lot of those moments because it's your human journey, right? And where you came from to finding the love of your life so young. Yeah. To where she has to pay for your Burger King date. Yep. Delicious. And you remember that. and your life that you built together, the trials and tribulations, like you said, little things that you haven't necessarily shared with us, but moments I'm sure where you're alone, maybe in an empty room and all you have is a mattress and making that up, but it's like those moments where what you have is what matters most. And then to have this incredible, remarkable, you know what will no doubt hall of fame career and to now retire and go be able to bring all of that back to your family and never losing sight of what mattered most all along and I imagine as a human being you're gonna go back and forth you're gonna feel all all different ways you're going to feel like you did where you couldn't turn around and you just had to go for a minute and you didn't know where you were going but you were going there fast and have that moment to freak out for a second and then have your friends your brothers hold you together even when you think you're alone you're really not there's always hopefully as long as you always have someone that you can call on and talk to and be there for you. And I was just so blessed enough that I've got a couple of those guys. Sounds like you have more than a couple. Yeah, it really does. Like I said, I am blessed to have all those guys. And even the girls are just sweet as they can be. And you know what I get a thrill out of, and it's kind of funny, is that they call me Uncle Al. You know? So I'm not quite old enough to be a grandpa, but just an uncle. I'm always sister That's a cool thing I think so too I don't know I trust you, your family do You mean more to me than Yeah I will say this Austin Theory calls me dad He's the only one I felt that same way I felt that same way He's like hey dad And I go mother freaker And then it was my fault because I said, Austin, I'm old enough to be your father. My fault. So he called me that and I thought, wait a second. And then he's so freaking funny. I was like, yeah, I'm all right with it. Yeah, because he doesn't mean anything by it. No, he's such a goofball. So he told me how much I look like his mom, which I know he meant is the most extreme compliment that he could possibly give he was probably saying my mom is beautiful that's what he meant right? very sweet he meant everything good hey man screw you I was like that's a first we're at that point we are I know Roxanne Perez she said we were talking about something. I said, you know what, Roxanne? Me and your mom used to listen to this music. And it was true. Yeah. And then there are generations that don't understand your movie references. No. Or your cultural references. Okay. One question for everybody in this room. Okay, here we go. That's my girl, Jackie, over there. She knows what I'm talking about. Okay, yes. I wore a shirt in Salty. And I thought, oh man, I'm about to get everybody with this shirt. They're going to love this shirt. the shirt was rad the movie right and if you've never seen it okay but if you've seen it holy cow it is the coolest shirt ever ever do you know what i'm talking about rad don't it was a i know it was a bmx movie oh okay i watched bmx bandits with nicole kidman in australia i'm telling you i saw a movie called bmx bandits well listen this is the first time we ever saw someone do a backflip on a bicycle. Okay. And it was crazy. In the 80s? Yeah. I don't know how I missed this movie. Like, I've seen Youngblood. I've seen, like, all of the movies. Yeah, I mean... But I missed Rad. You missed Rad. I missed Rad. Do you know what Rad is? No. When she said, people don't get your movie references, it was for me. Yes. Oh. Yes, that was the gesture. It feels a little bit nice that she didn't get this one. Yeah, I didn't. But not because it wasn't my generation. I just didn't see it. I know we're trying to write this thing up. I can't help where I was born or when I was born. I don't understand why guys or maybe even the women married guys like 15 years younger. I'm like, what are we going to talk about? What are we going to talk about? You want to talk about music? No, because you didn't listen to my music. It'd be terrible. And the technology is different. Oh my gosh. I don't know how it works, but it works for some people. I got it. Here, when I don't know what I'm doing, I'm like, son. Give it to your kid. Show me what I'm supposed to do here on Instagram because I don't know how to collaborate Yeah, what does that even mean? They know. Yeah, well, he does it for me. Yeah. Yeah, and I'm blessed. Hey, there's been times I'm like, I don't know if I look cool in this. Let me go ask my son. Oh, yeah. Dad, can I wear this? I'm like, Dad, that's cool. You can wear it. I'm like, all right. I completely do that. Well, we're like, this is great. She's like, thanks. The girls picked it out. Yeah, I do it all the time. Yeah. I'm like, I know I'm not that cool. So I need you guys to help me because I think this looks good. Listen, you've made them. Have you ever had that like, what are you wearing? Look up. I'm taking this off. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Look back. But they're more, you know, they're girls. So it's more like it's the look on the face. I've seen you wear better things. Oh, that's nice. That's a sweet way of saying it. Yeah. I mean, 86, that outfit. My six-year-old when I come home from shooting podcasts with full face makeup is like, why does your face look like that? what does it normally look like? I'm going to go wash my face. He likes the normal version. Just brutally honest, you know. That is a good thing. I'm like, fine, won't tell Jackie. What are your other key lessons you think that you've learned along the way thus far? The older you get, the more you understand the world. There's stuff that you can't understand when you're younger, that you'll only understand when you're older and you get more experiences everywhere else. Just because they don't cuss in the Bible doesn't mean they can't be Christian people that cuss in the North, you know, because, well, you know, I learned pretty quickly, wrestling in Philly, that these guys are dropping everything and they don't mean anything by it. It's just words. Right. You know, it's your intention behind the words that have a problem and how you use them. So that was a big thing for me to learn, you know, but if stuff is always changing, it's always changing. your mind if you're willing to open up and try to understand yeah and not have a complete open mind where you're like all right let me give that a shot stick to what you know and but like be open enough to see it somebody from somebody else's perspective for their eyes and and just try to understand what they're going through you know I think that helps me a lot not everybody's come up the way that I have and I didn't come up the way they did either it's all that's right so if I just kind of understand where they're coming from, it does help the conversation at least. Yeah, because you never know what someone else is going through. You really don't. They could put on a good, you know, act in front of you and they could be falling apart inside. It's very true. Everybody is struggling with something at some point in time. And so that's why you need to be nice and take the time to, you know, just be kind to everybody. It isn't very hard, you know, just say thank you or whatever. You know, it's like it's the smallest things that go so far. It really is. I read you're reminding me of a story that I just heard about. There was a woman in line to pay for. I think it was gas and she didn't have quite enough. She was a couple bucks short and she was really upset about it. And the guy behind her, you know, said something and she cussed at him and was really rude and stormed out of the store. and then he said, I'm going to pay for her gas. And the guy behind her goes, dude, why are you doing that? She was like not nice to you at all. And he said, because I was taught to always smile and to always be kind. And when they came out of the store, this woman came running up to them, apologized to the guy, cried her eyes out. She had lost her job. she was trying to make a payment on on you know so she didn't lose electricity or whatever it was and she couldn't afford the gas and how grateful she was and how much better that man felt you know because he said see and he looked at the other guy and he said you never know what someone's going through and he felt so good about that money you know that's why i don't believe in first impressions i give them a second because you have no idea what they're going through that day that's so interesting yep I mean they could be real jerks to you but just give them a second chance because again it's been a long day maybe they've been up all night maybe the kid was sick you know maybe the kid's you know who knows in the hospital like there's some things that can really wreck you a really good person so I get it just another lesson I was taught is never judge anyone based on what other people tell you right It's only your own experience with that person. Yep. And that's what I try to do. Yeah, just because someone else does it, you know, just because this woman does it doesn't mean all women are like that. Right. And by the way, when she treated you like that, she could have been having a bad day. Yeah. Right? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, he could be missing out on the woman of his life because he thinks all women are like that. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like there's someone out there, dude. Don't let her define what a woman is. for you yeah like you just mean we're not all bad i mean not everybody but life is all about perspective i agree i agree it's all about experience and you'll know more than the older you get the experience they have you know how to talk to people and uh and how the little things go the furthest in the conversations. You know? Yeah. I think time is the greatest gift you can give somebody outside of love. But you know, just time. Sometimes time is love, right? Yeah, it is. Right? I mean, like you think about that. Yes. I mean, we both love Jackie over there because she just listens all the time. Yeah. Jackie's great for so many reasons. She's got so much information between those two ears. Oh my gosh. She knows all about us. She knows all of our problems. Oh, my gosh. I know. I've always encouraged the makeup team, but this is like for decades, to write a book. Oh, my. And not just wrestling. I no longer support that. But, you know, they've worked in various different genres, a lot of those makeup artists, like the celebrity stories, the wrestling stories, the like wherever the industry took them stories. Jackie, you know what I'm talking about? You know, like that would be fascinating. Fascinating book. Did Jackie do your makeup? She did. Did you tell her, you're like, hey, I'm dating Hunter. Don't say anything, Jackie. No, because it wasn't Jackie at the time. It was Janet, who was best friends with China. Oh. Let's unpack that. So it was a very interesting time. That was kind of like what I did, right? Hey, I like you, Wendy. Oh, I'm going to bang your friend. I thought you just kissed. Not the smartest thing I've ever done. Wendy's a saint. She is a saint. She is a saint. She really is. I keep picturing that part to the back. I know. Oh, my God. That's all. Especially because I've given those kicks, and I know what they feel like to give and receive, and your poor little wife, and she's tiny. You'd be like, yeah, he made me so mad. She is a tough cookie. She really is. Well, she was a cheerleader, right? Yeah, she was a competition cheerleader. Yeah, they have to be tough. She was so good. She was so good. Let me tell you how sweet she is. She was going to a college in Georgia. They wanted her bad. They took her like a bunch of idiots. They took her to a party when she was visiting. They loved her because she was so amazing. Right. Took her to a party. They were smoking and drinking. Like trying to impress her. that way. That was the wrong thing. Yeah. That's not who she was. She came back and cried to her parents. She couldn't believe it. It broke her heart. Oh no. So she never went. I think by her sophomore and junior year, she would have been a national champion. Wow. But she was that good. Wow. She was tiny, could do it all. Right. So all I brag about is how I'm a two-time state champion. You could have been national champion. You never won state. You never won national. but she could have yeah she was she was but she's like just that kind of person that just as innocent as she possibly could be and then i tried to ruin it still i am still i am trying to run and now he's home and now daddy's home jackie you know we've had many talks me and jackie She might be your lifeline. What did you tell Jackie? Gotta watch the pod. Yeah. I'm just telling her how much I love you and I suck, which is pretty true. Yeah. Well, obviously you don't suck because it seems like every person who has a story about you has such respect and admiration and love for you. And that's just because of who you are and how you treat people and that you show up 100% yourself no matter what environment you're in, whether you're in the ring, whether you're backstage, whether you're at home. And you're just a remarkable man. Not everybody is such a true soul. And I'm just really, really grateful that I've had this opportunity to know you because I feel exactly the same way. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. All right. Yeah. You're like, thank God. I appreciate you trying to make me cry. Freaking Finn got me that joke.