Johnny Gargano has nothing but love for AJ Styles.
Johnny Gargano discussed AJ Styles during a recent Twitch stream. Calling AJ Styles "the best wrestler of our generation," Gargano reflected on the different times he's gotten to wrestle AJ Styles in his career and says that AJ has always remained consistent in between the ropes.
Gargano would also say that he believes AJ heavily shaped the way wrestling looks today.
"I can't say enough good things about AJ Styles. He's probably the best wrestler of our generation. AJ Styles was the first independent wrestler that I loved," he recalls. "I had a hood on my entrance gear when I had my very first match because of AJ Styles. I loved AJ and TNA and I'm talking back in the NWA TNA days, ROH days, and things like that. AJ Styles is my guy. He was my first non-WWE, non-WCW, non-ECW guy that I really loved just from his independent work."
Reflecting on the first time he got to wrestle AJ Styles, Gargano says he was only 18 years old and at the time, he learned a great deal by being in the ring with Styles.
"So, I got the chance to wrestle AJ when I was 18 years old. He was my favorite wrestler at the time and I got the chance to wrestle him. He brought it. He was so amazing. I learned so much from that match at a very early age," says Gargano. "I wrestled him again right before he signed with WWE years later and now, I wrestled him again in WWE on that live event in France. He's still as great as he was when I wrestled him when I was 18 years old. AJ Styles is definitely one of a kind. I firmly do believe that wrestling wouldn't be what it is today without AJ. AJ is literally, like, you talk about GOATS? AJ is one of the GOATs and he's a great guy in the locker room.
"I remember he treated me with so much kindness and he treated me like an equal when I was 18 years old and he had no reason to do that," continued Johnny. "He was hot in TNA at that time, so he definitely could have just big-leagued me and he never did it, he just gave me a great match. That's something I never forgot and just seeing how he treats people, too, in the locker room, he's a definition of a locker room leader and wrestling as a whole is very lucky to have AJ."
The Undertaker, who is probably considered to be the most widely known locker room leader in the history of WWE, also recently praised AJ Styles.
When speaking about his final match at WWE WrestleMania 36, Undertaker declared AJ Styles to be the "Shawn Michaels of his generation" and spoke about the great deal of respect he has for AJ Styles as a person and performer.
Johnny Gargano and AJ Styles are now both members of the WWE Friday Night Smackdown roster. This means that there could perhaps be a televised match between the two men down the road.
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