AJ Styles hints at backstage foe on WWE Raw, future uncertain

AJ Styles used a brief, incendiary microphone moment during the September 8 edition of WWE Raw in Milwaukee to suggest someone inside the company is working against him, touching off fresh speculation about his booking and longterm future. The Phenomenal One delivered the remarks during a commercial break on the international broadcast, later defeating El Grande Americano in a scheduled match at the Fiserv Forum.

Addressing the live crowd and viewers abroad, Styles said that for the first time in his career he had nobody watching his back, naming Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson as gone from WWE and noting Michin is now on SmackDown. Styles added, I am telling you something you are not supposed to hear, but somebody does not want me here, and vowed to make his opponent feel some of that pain. The segment aired during a U.S. commercial break and quickly spread on social media after WWE posted the clip to its own channels.

The promo sharpened an ongoing narrative around Styles, 48, whose recent social media post of an hourglass and his reported contract status have fueled retirement and exit talk. According to multiple reports, Styles signed a short term extension earlier this year...