‘Guys Walked Around More Timid When Vince Was In Charge’: AJ Styles On The Difference Between Two WWE Eras

AJ Styles has offered a measured assessment of working under Vince McMahon, saying McMahon gave him everything he could have wanted in WWE while acknowledging the atmosphere around him was different from the current Triple H era.

Speaking on his Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles reflected on the contrast between the two regimes.

“I enjoyed the fact that if I had a question that needed to be answered and I needed it right then, I could go to Vince and he’d give me the answer. I can appreciate that. There was one time where I told him I was trying to read him, meaning how he felt about something. He said, ‘Don’t do that. You can’t read me.’ Maybe they’ve been true, but things were different. I feel like guys walked around a little bit more timid when Vince was in charge, where now they can give their opinions and stuff like that more freely, ask questions without being yelled at.”

He said the company’s size made complete micromanagement impossible and that his personal experience with McMahon was neither negative nor particularly close.

“Guys who are commentating aren’t being yelled at and said mean things to. I don’t know exactly what those mean things are, but I’ve heard stories. I don’t think it’s as micromanaged as it was. But it’s quite impossible because it’s such a large company. It was neither good or bad working for Vince. I mean, he gave me a chance to be AJ Styles in WWE and a two-time World Heavyweight Champion. So, what am I to complain about? We were not hanging out after work. I promise you that.”

Styles was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026 following his January retirement.