NARAKU may have already made an immediate impact in WWE, but not everyone understood why the former IWGP Champion debuted in WWE NXT instead of going straight to the main roster. Now, AJ Styles is stepping in to defend the decision.
After debuting during the April 28 episode of NXT by confronting Tony D’Angelo in the middle of the mystery box storyline, the former NJPW star quickly established himself as one of the brand’s biggest new attractions. He later received the new WWE name “NARAKU” and already scored a dominant in-ring victory during the May 12 edition of NXT.
Reports later revealed that NARAKU himself specifically requested to begin his WWE run in NXT instead of immediately joining RAW or SmackDown. Still, that decision sparked backlash online from fans who believed somebody with his résumé should have skipped developmental entirely.
Now, while speaking on the Phenomenally Retro podcast, AJ Styles made it clear he believes the move makes complete sense. Styles immediately pointed out that even top international stars like Shinsuke Nakamura previously went through NXT before becoming established main roster stars.
“Can I just say this? Shinsuke Nakamura was also in NXT. I’m just throwing that out there. Not everybody goes straight to the main roster.”
From there, Styles explained that WWE’s television system is completely different from wrestling in Japan, especially when it comes to camera positioning, production expectations, and learning how WWE structures televised performances.
“Listen, there are certain things that we all need to learn in NXT that will prepare us for the main roster.”
Styles then admitted that even he struggled adapting when he first arrived in WWE because the company’s presentation style is very specific.
“Even I can say this—I had to learn quick. Holy crap, they don’t do this, they do this. It was a learning process, and I had to learn fast because I was already there.”
He specifically referenced WWE’s focus on hard-camera awareness and detailed production cues that many international wrestlers simply are not used to dealing with elsewhere.
“Boom—you know where all the cameras are. You know not to turn your back to the hard camera.”
Styles even revealed WWE production staff actively coached him on those details when he first arrived. According to Styles, those habits simply do not exist in Japan because the wrestling presentation there is handled far differently.
“Stu, our cameraman, was like, ‘Hey AJ, make sure you turn this way,’ instead of putting your back to the hard camera. It sounds silly, but it’s important. Because you don’t do that in Japan. There are no producers in Japan. It doesn’t matter where the cameras are—they just shoot. So we need to know where all this stuff is—it’s important.”
Bottom line: AJ Styles believes NARAKU starting in NXT has nothing to do with his talent level and everything to do with learning WWE’s unique television system before eventually moving onto the main roster.
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Do you think WWE made the right call putting NARAKU in NXT first? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.