AJ Styles Activated A 'Player Option' To Extend WWE Deal

AJ Styles will be a vital part of WWE for the foreseeable future, with reports saying the ‘Phenomenal One’ put pen to paper on a contract extension earlier this year.

However, Styles has clarified his contract situation, telling Inside the Ropes’ Alex McCarthy:

"Let me make one thing clear. I didn't sign anything, recently. I had something on my contract where I got to decide, kind of a player option, what I want to do, and we just extended the contract that I already had.”

Since debuting at Royal Rumble 2016, Styles has become one of WWE’s hottest commodities, but Styles recognises that the end of his full-time in-ring career is on the horizon:

"Time is running out, as far as AJ Styles is concerned,” Styles admitted. “I am getting older. The ability to put on great matches is getting a little bit harder. I don't want to embarrass myself at the same time. I want to get out while I can and still have somewhat of a legacy. I don't want to have to work anywhere else. I'd love to work within WWE, but I don't know if that's going to happen, if I'll have the chance.

“I would like to be a scout because, I know we've changed some things around here in WWE, but at the end of the day, you have to find these - I don't want to call them actors or stuntmen - you have to find these athletes that have wanted this their whole life. Not saying football or basketball, athletes can't be great, we've seen it with Kurt Angle and we know guys coming in from sport, Olympic sport and what not, can be great, but for someone who has wanted to do this their whole life, they know what is expected of them and they know what they can do to chase that dream. It's a little different and I think it would be a little harder for someone who has never watched wrestling before to come to this stage. When your ego is not involved, trust me, I had a little bit of an ego because I did wrestling in high school and college, but when you learn to go, 'what's the story?' That's the most important thing. You have to let go of these egos. They don't matter. They don't sell pay-per-views. We need people to sell the story and sometimes people who have wanted to do this their whole life know better than anybody.”

H/T: Fightful