AJ Styles Wants WWE To Buy A Promotion In Japan
AJ Styles is hoping WWE buy a Japanese promotion in the near future.
On April 19, 2025, during the WrestleMania 41 Countdown show in Las Vegas, WWE announced its acquisition of Mexican lucha libre promotion AAA, with the deal officially closing on August 1. With the company continuing to gain momentum under WWE’s leadership, one Hall of Famer now wants to see the promotion make a similar move in Japan.
During the latest episode of his Phenomenally Retro Podcast, AJ Styles said he would love to see WWE purchase a promotion in Japan with the aim of helping revive the country’s wrestling scene to the point where selling out the Tokyo Dome becomes a regular occurrence once again.
“I would love WWE to find a way to be in Japan, kind of like the way AAA is. We’re not changing what they’re doing. We’re not trying to change the culture. We’re just putting our spin on it. It’s not them coming to WWE, but WWE has purchased a company in Japan. And now, we have Japan, we have Mexico… I don’t want them to come to RAW or SmackDown. I want them to be a WWE whatever in Japan. It’s endless things that we could do. And I believe that with the help of WWE, we would be able to revive Japanese wrestling to where it was. I would love to see it back where it’s the Tokyo Dome. I’m talking about not like a WrestleMania over there. I’m just saying it’s the company selling out the Tokyo Dome like it did in the early 90s. That’s what I would want to see.”
-AJ Styles
AJ Styles’ in-ring career came to an end following a submission defeat to GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble on January 31 earlier this year. Since stepping away from the squared circle, Styles has primarily worked in a scouting and development role for WWE.
Prior to joining WWE in January 2016, Styles competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He later made a one-off return to Japan in 2024, facing Naomichi Marufuji for Pro Wrestling NOAH as part of the two companies’ partnership.
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As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the possibility of WWE buying a promotion in Japan as soon as we hear more.
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