AJ Styles has gone into detail about the framework he is using in his new scouting role for WWE following his retirement from in-ring competition — and his approach is notably more nuanced than simply looking for the most complete package. Speaking on the latest episode of The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles laid out the five attributes he has identified as the core criteria for evaluating potential talent.
“To give advice, I just got to figure out what the qualities are. There’s athletic ability, there’s charisma, there’s wrestling alone, talking on the mic, drive. That’s the five I have as of right now. That might change. But in my head, I don’t need you to have all five. If you have all five, then just go straight to the main roster. Even guys on the main roster, including myself — I don’t think I had all five. I could do all five, but I don’t think I had a perfect 10 on all five. I think it’s very difficult,” Styles said.
AJ Styles Named Bray Wyatt and Dominik Mysterio as Examples of Wrestlers Who Thrived After Changing Their Gimmick
Styles also addressed how the WWE Performance Center approach works for talent who are not yet complete packages. “They have some qualities that you can build on that we can send to the Performance Center. We can do better at your lowest one. If it’s mic work, we can work on that. If it’s charisma, we can give you the kind of gimmick that maybe you can now get some charisma through — because sometimes, you don’t understand the character and you’re like not feeling it. There’s been many guys that changed into a different character and you’re like, ‘Where has this guy been?'” Styles named Bray Wyatt and Dominik Mysterio as his prime examples of performers who unlocked their full potential once the right character fit was found — a philosophy that reflects the Performance Center’s approach of developing the whole performer rather than simply fixing weaknesses.
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