‘We Can’t Flip Flop The Title — That’s Not The Way It’s Gonna Work’: AJ Styles On His Cody Rhodes Program

AJ Styles has admitted he knew from the moment the pitch was made that he was not winning the WWE Championship during his 2024 feud with Cody Rhodes.

Speaking on his Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles reflected on being booked as the first challenger after Rhodes’ WrestleMania 40 title win.

“I remember when Cody won the World Championship and AJ Styles was going through his dark time. The pitch was for AJ Styles to wrestle Cody Rhodes. I was like, ‘Well, freak. I just tried to get this character over being just a vicious heel, and I’m gonna have to lose if I’m wrestling Cody because we can’t flip flop the title. That’s not the way it’s gonna work.’ So it was nice being back in the main event on the PLEs and whatnot.”

Styles and Rhodes met three times during the program, including matches at Backlash France, King and Queen of the Ring, and Clash at the Castle Scotland, before Rhodes ended the feud in an I Quit match. Styles has since retired from in-ring competition.