AJ Styles Asked Shawn Michaels For A Match, But Michaels Turned Him Down

AJ Styles talks dream match that never was.

When AJ Styles first came to WWE in 2016, the thought of Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement to face him immediately popped into the minds of fans. Michaels and Styles are considered two of the best in-ring performers of their respective generations and a bout between the two is widely thought of as a dream match. Unfortunately, despite teases on social media and online pressure, Michaels vs. Styles never came to fruition as The Heartbreak Kid decided to stay retired at the time.

Speaking to Cathy Kelley on WWE Now, Styles discussed comparisons to Michaels and why the match never happened

“I would have loved the opportunity to have gotten in the ring with him. I’m not sure what it is about Shawn and I that people see as like, ‘Oh wow, these guys are one and the same.’ I would like to think that there are so many great matches by Shawn and hopefully there are a lot of great matches that you see me in. And that’s the comparison. That [we’re] able to put on a show no matter who is in the ring with [us]. It’s certainly a compliment.”

Styles continued, “I asked Shawn [about a match] and he said ‘No.’ That’s on Shawn, guys. I can’t do anything about that. I would love to opportunity to do that [match]. But I get where he’s coming from too. It’s one of those things where, if you say you’re gonna retire — Now, granted, he had a match after his retirement, one [match] — but I understand not really wanting to do it. When I retire, I want to [stay] retired too.”

Michaels, who was retired by The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 in 2010, returned to the ring in 2018 at WWE Crown Jewel, teaming with Triple H to take on The Undertaker and Kane. Although they never competed in a singles bout, Michaels and Styles crossed paths at WWE Raw Reunion with D-Generation X lending a hand to Seth Rollins against The OC.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit WWE with a h/t to Fightful.