UPDATE: WWE’s signing of AJ Styles and Austin Aries is changing perceptions in the company for talent acquisitions. In the past, WWE apparently had no interest in Styles or Aries due to their looks, but the success of Aries in NXT and the way Styles has gotten over on the main roster has caused WWE to change its mentality on signing “great workers who looked like normal guys.” By “normal guys,” it’s likely because Aries and Styles don’t fit a typical WWE big man mold.
As previously reported (see below), Styles was initially brought and expected to be a midcarder at best. However, fan reaction to AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble and house shows has caused WWE to consider Styles one of the promotion’s current top stars.
ORIGINAL: AJ Styles was originally supposed to be a mid-level wrestler when he signed with the WWE.
That plan changed after the live reaction from fans at the Royal Rumble. Thanks to that, and more importantly, the reactions he gets at live events, WWE now considers him “one of the company’s top five stars.”
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