AJ Styles is done listening to wrestling fans trash every WWE storyline— and now he’s telling people to stop nitpicking everything and remember why they became fans in the first place.
While speaking on the Phenomenally Retro podcast, Styles pushed back against the nonstop negativity that dominates wrestling discourse online, especially from fans who immediatelystorylines as “stupid” before giving them a chance to play out. According to Styles, fans are often so focused on criticizing WWE programming that they forget to appreciate moments that are actually entertaining.
“Can we just say this? For all the things that the internet was—‘God, that’s stupid. That’s a dumb storyline.’ Can you not appreciate this one? ‘This one makes you laugh. This is good.’ Can we not brag on this one? ‘’Cause I’m entertained. Yes.’”
Styles admitted there will always be aspects of wrestling people dislike because no company can satisfy every single fan at the same time. Still, he argued that fans sometimes spend more energy complaining than actually enjoying the product.
“There is good stuff. You can complain. We can cry and complain about all the things that are wrong. And listen, it’s never going to be right. Not everybody’s gonna love it all at the same time. There’ll always be something.”
From there, Styles shifted the conversation toward fans who still genuinely love professional wrestling and encouraged them to stop searching for flaws in every segment or storyline. Instead, he believes people should appreciate the fact that wrestling is still delivering entertainment week after week across WWE programming.
“But man, if you’re just a wrestling fan, appreciate the fact that you are being entertained. ‘Like, if you still love wrestling—’ Dude, just enjoy it.”
Styles then pointed out that wrestling fans today arguably have easier access to WWE than ever before thanks to streaming services replacing expensive cable packages, which made his frustration with constant negativity even more obvious.
“‘It may not be the time you want it to.’ There’s always going to be something for us to complain about. Enjoy the fact that you already have Netflix and that you don’t have to pay for cable.”
The comments come at a time when WWE discourse online has become increasingly dominated by fan backlash over booking decisions, storyline pacing, surprise returns, and match outcomes across RAW, SmackDown, and NXT. But based on Styles’ comments, he clearly thinks some fans are forgetting that wrestling is supposed to be fun in the first place.
Do you agree with AJ Styles that wrestling fans complain too much online, or do you think criticizing WWE is part of being invested in the product? Leave your thoughts and feedback below.
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