AJ Styles: I Don’t Care How Much Money They Offer John Cena & I, We’re Not Going To Saudi Arabia To Have Another Match

Styles said after Cena retires, he’ll be following up behind him.

One of the matches on the marquee for WWE’s Crown Jewel Premium Live Event in Perth, Australia, is John Cena versus AJ Styles. It is one of the few dates that Cena has remaining on his retirement tour that concludes in December.

It’ll be the fifth singles match between Styles and Cena, and they are tied at two wins apiece. Styles discussed the upcoming bout on the Raw Recap podcast and stated that no matter how much money is offered to him and Cena, they will not be running it back in Saudi Arabia.

Styles has publicly stated that he’s planning to retire ‘within the next year.’ He said when Cena wraps up, he’ll be right behind him.

“Alright, well, well, let’s just be honest about the whole thing. I don’t know if you guys noticed, haven’t been in the main event picture lately. So, I just assumed that I wasn’t that important. But it sounds like, to me, the fans wanted this match, and at the end of the day, when it comes to John Cena’s retirement tour, we’re gonna give them what they want. So, I’m happy to have the opportunity to face John one more time and I can tell you this, it’ll never happen again. I don’t care how much money they offer us, we’re probably still — I said probably — we’re not going to Saudi Arabia to have another match. This is it. I know in my heart, this is the right thing and John’s gonna be retiring soon and I’m gonna be right behind him. It’s just the reality of two guys who have busted their butt for so many years, and busted their bodies at the same time. It’s time.”

While speaking about their on-screen history, Styles feels that Cena helped make him in WWE. He added that some of his best matches were with Cena.

“He definitely made me. There’s no question in my mind that he helped make AJ Styles. He put me on a different level, and some of my best matches have been with John (Cena). That is also no question. So, I don’t know where I would be exactly on the charts right now, if it hadn’t had been for John but it certainly did help being in the ring…”

As the conversation moved along, Cena using the ‘Styles Clash’ on Logan Paul at Clash in Paris was brought up. Styles jokingly said that Cena did not get permission to do it.

“He didn’t call me. He didn’t ask if he could use it. But, with everything that he’s done for me, I took it as a compliment and even he said it on the interview, it was showing appreciation, and so, mind you, it’s never gonna be an AJ Styles ‘Styles Clash’ so, I forgive him pretty easy.”

Styles was in action on the 10/6 Monday Night Raw and teamed with Dragon Lee and Penta to defeat The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio, Finn Bálor & J.D. McDonagh).

The upcoming bout at Crown Jewel will be Cena’s first match since being dominated by Brock Lesnar at WWE Wrestlepalooza.

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Raw Recap with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.