Summary

AJ Styles has retired from in-ring competition and is now working as a talent scout for WWE. Speaking on his Phenomenally Retro podcast, he explained that his work involves attending independent shows and combing through online footage, looking for prospects he can identify before anyone else gets to them.

The quality Styles is prioritizing isn't technical polish or physical size. It's the desperate, all-in drive he carried during his own years grinding the independent circuit. He wants to find wrestlers who have no backup plan, the ones putting everything they have into making it in the business.

He referenced his own time in TNA as part of that journey, noting that reaching that level once felt like the top of the mountain, until he realized there was still more to climb.

Styles is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Quote from AJ Styles

"I've been going to indie shows and checking those out, just seeing what everyone has to offer, and stuff like that. I'm scouring the internet for something that sticks out. If people see talent. 'They are different. There is something about them.' I like that kind of stuff. If you want to send me that stuff, fine, go ahead, I'd love to see. I'm trying to check out and see how much talent is out there. I know what it's like to be on the indies and having a job. Traveling on the indies, sometimes it's hard to get things that you need. If they are as desperate as I was to make it in the wrestling business, I'd love to see them before anybody else snags them up. Hopefully, I'm able to see talent before it's developed. There is something about them, the drive, and meeting them. I want to see myself in them. Not the same abilities or size, the same heart and passion that is going to go into this because we have no Plan B. 'I'm going to put all my eggs into this basket and find a way to make it in this crazy wrestling business, and hopefully one day get to the top.' The top may be TNA for you, and that's okay. The top for me was TNA, I thought it was, until it wasn't,"

What AJ Styles Brings to WWE's Talent Pipeline

Styles moving into a scouting role puts one of the most decorated careers in modern wrestling history to work finding the next generation of WWE talent. His path from indie journeyman to multi-time world champion gives him a genuine frame of reference when evaluating prospects who haven't been developed by a major promotion yet. His stated emphasis on drive and desperation over polished ability suggests he'll be pushing for signings with high upside rather than finished products.

With his Hall of Fame induction arriving this year, Styles is transitioning into a sustained front-office presence at WWE. The wrestlers he spots on the independent scene now could be the company's next generation of homegrown stars with his fingerprints on the find.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.