Major WWE Star Opens Up On Recent Releases ‘Really Hurting’ Him

A major WWE star has opened up on how some particular names being released by WWE recently “really hurt” him.

AJ Styles has permanently switched from Raw to SmackDown, which he hopes will give him a clean slate to forget about missing former teammates Gallows & Anderson, and means he’ll just be able to crack on with his own thing.

Speaking on WWE After The Bell, Styles spoke about the brand switch, saying:

“It’s moving to FOX and I think they’re doing a good job, so I’m excited about that. Doing something different is good for me. I needed a change. Losing Gallows & Anderson really hurt me. Getting away from Raw helps me get over it — I don’t know if I’ll get over it, but it helps change the atmosphere around me and to do something different. My whole time on Raw was basically with them. To get away from that and get to SmackDown, where I’ve had a lot of success, it’s a good thing.”

He also seemed to feel somewhat guilty that they left because he’s the oldest of the group and felt responsible for them. He added:

“I brought their names to WWE and when they got released, I immediately felt responsible for them because I helped them get here and I wanted them to stay. I thought, if I hadn’t encouraged them to stay maybe they wouldn’t be behind right now. A lot of it fell on me and I felt like I let them down. I talked to them about this and I was just crushed. I’m the oldest and I didn’t take care of them. That really bothered me. And it still does.”

Thanks to Fightful for the transcription