Summary

AJ Styles had a strong reaction to Fatal Influence arriving on WWE SmackDown, and for him that was the clearest sign the group is landing the way it should.

The trio of Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid officially debuted on the April 24 episode of SmackDown after being called up to the main roster. While discussing the group, Styles said their presentation immediately gave off the kind of energy that is supposed to annoy viewers.

Quote from AJ Styles

Speaking on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, Styles said:

"I think what I like about that group is they look like the kind of people that would bully my daughter, and that makes me mad. So I was like, 'Oh, they're doing so good.' It's the opposite of how I would feel, but knowing what they're doing, how they're doing their job, and they're doing it well. So I'm like, 'Alright, keep doing what you're doing. This is good. This is good stuff.'"

What Fatal Influence's debut says about SmackDown

Styles framing Fatal Influence as a group that instantly irritates people matters because that is exactly the kind of first impression a new heel act needs on the main roster. If that reaction keeps carrying over on SmackDown, Jayne, Henley, and Reid should have a clear lane to become regular antagonists in the women's division.

It also says WWE's early presentation of Fatal Influence is getting across to established names immediately. When a veteran like Styles reads the act that quickly, it suggests the group already has a defined identity instead of feeling like a call-up still searching for one.

Sources

AJ Styles on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast