AJ Styles on How He Feels About Being The Undertaker’s Final Opponent in WWE

AJ Styles faced The Undertaker in a cinematic Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36 this past April. That bout wound up being “The Deadman’s” final match, as the WWE icon declared his retirement months later during The Last Ride documentary series and hosted a “Final Farewell” at Survivor Series last month. In a new interview with TalkSports‘ Alex McCarthy this week, Styles opened up about his reaction to Taker’s announcement.

“Well, as far as the match and him thinking that was going to be his last, I don’t think he knew, nor did I, that that was the one that he needed to end on. It just kind of happened and, you know, I literally called him a month after WrestleMania and said, ‘Listen, I need to know if you’re done.’ And, well, he never called me back because I think he was afraid that I’d try to talk him into one more,” Styles said (h/t Inside The Ropes).

He then applauded Undertaker for ending things “the right way.”

“He did it on his own terms. He didn’t have to do it because of an injury or something else. He’s the one who said, ‘You know what? I’m OK with ending it right here,’” Styles said. “And there’s something to be said about something like that, because injuries plague this business, you know, and you never know how long you’re going to be able to hold out and good for him that he was able to call his own shot.”

A month after the Boneyard Match Styles found himself in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WWE Headquarters. The bout included a spot where styles opened up a room to see a casket and Undertaker’s signature purple lighting, almost as if “The Phenomenal One” was still being haunted by “The Phenom.” To Styles’ knowledge, it was never supposed to amount to anything more than a one-off joke.

They said, ‘Hey, what if we did this?’ And I was like, ‘You know, whatever’ — but I have no idea why they put something like that in there. Maybe it was a just-in-case.”

Styles will face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship this Sunday in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match at the TLC pay-per-view. If he wins, Styles will become a three-time WWE Champion.