Add as a preferred source on Google AJ Styles opened up about his historic WWE Championship reign, which came to an end at the hands of Daniel Bryan in November 2018.
Speaking on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, the “Phenomenal One” said that despite the importance of carrying WWE’s top title, he felt a huge sense of relief when Bryan defeated him.
“I can speak from experience. Being a champion for a year is exhausting. It is because I feel like they’re saying, ‘Hey man, we’re counting on you to put butts in seats.’ So you go out there every week to put on unbelievable matches, do the media, and everything that goes around with that. It’s exhausting. It can get you. So I remember getting beaten by Daniel Bryan, going, ‘Thank God.’ I was exhausted.”
Styles also explained that the schedule at the time involved far more than just appearing on TV. According to him, the calendar included live events, SmackDown, media obligations, and the pressure to deliver major matches almost every night.
“Well, you got to know, especially back then, we were on the road doing live events three days a week. Plus, then you have SmackDown, which was a blessing because that’s only four days, where when I started, it was five days in a row.”
Styles had won the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal in Manchester on November 7, 2017.
His loss to Bryan came in St. Louis, with the title and the spot against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series on the line. Bryan won after hitting a low blow while the referee was down, ending Styles’ title reign.