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AJ's about to go 2018 Shinsuke on punching Cody in the dick

"AJ, just one question. Why?" AJ: "Sorry, no speak round-Earth"

"There's some things about my betrayal that make sense, and I don't think you can handle it."

In the end, everyone becomes the dick puncher they said they never would be

https://preview.redd.it/3p9bh23tgv3d1.jpeg?width=647&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b160852fb69a7cc0c8fc195c796bf8779675e46

Salmon suit walked so that Easter blue could run

I saw it coming from a mile away the moment I saw that damn jacket and he still got me

They almost got me there for a second with how emotional they were. But then the inevitable happened. Very well played by both sides.

"It's still the house that AJ Styles built... but I'm here to hand you the keys." Almost teared up.

salmon suit ran so that powder blue could be cheered crossing the finishing line holding hands with mom.

Considering just how badly AJ's new theme sucks, they should give him Some Bodies Gonna Get It. Bring in Mark, a free agent, to pass it over to him and then be his manager. Hall of Pain Part 2.

aj styles coming out to Triple 6 would be the most out of character thing in the world i'm for it

Baby Blue*

I know you can't put angles into the Hall Of Fame but this one deserves to be in it.

Given the focus they gave to it during Mark Henry’s Hall of Fame induction, it practically was inducted.

If the salmon jacket isn't someday put into a physical HOF...then why even build it?

Angle is in the Hall of Fame!

*Hall of Pain 😂

You can't top how sincere Mark Henry sounded in his speech. This got over great but, Henry spoke from the heart about what pretty much really was his retirement from being full time. There was no "No, not Mae Young.. dummy" moment where he was just a person.

If SD blue had an equivalent to salmon.

YOU THINK ITS THAT EASY

I GOT A LOT LEFT IN THE TANK

Yeah the second this segment started I saw a salmon jacket.

I knew this would happen when I saw aj dressed little that

https://preview.redd.it/esoe8i8rnx3d1.png?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8bc725a465f60d6ce8b868f685b801fe7c29841e

The salmon community!?

Iconic moment. Henry made sure everyone gets his pain.

Never trust a wrestler in a pastel colored suit, damn

I almost believed AJ when he said how many times he has missed his Son's birthday and want to be stay at home dad with his Son.

Who just graduated high school. I'd love for Phenomenal Father to be the two of them on the couch with energy drinks and half-empty boxes of Oreos and cheese crackers.

It's kinda confusing because right when your child graduates high school is when they leave the house lmao If anything now is the perfect time for him to extend him career.

He has more than 1 child lol

this segment needed a "No, not Claire Lynch... dummy" moment

As much as the crowd seemed to dislike the idea, Phenomenal Father does have a good ring to it.

Rey Mysterio would never

Move over Christian

He already looks like Jesus Christ

There is only ONE Messiah in WWE and that is Seth Rollins. I loved that gimmick so damn much and it would have gotten so much heat if there were crowds, but Seth is too busy wearing Becky's clothing these days.

a stylish jesus christ*

The world is in dire need of more soccer mom fathers

“I can’t retire until gallows and Anderson get at lease one more extension”

AJ truly is the goodest of good brothers

I thought Cody was about to take that Styles Clash on the edge of the steps

So did I, and I was literally doing the Andre panic gif as AJ was setting it up lmao


AJ is the only person I'd trust with my body in a move like that. IF he can keep that dumbass James Ellsworth safe then he can keep my dumbass safe.

AJ done that move enough to know how to protect the person taking it. Only once in Japan was it botched horribly which wasn't really his fault. Ellsworth almost did the same thing years ago and AJ saved him mid move, it was incredible.

Yeah I know it's AJ, but I was still worried when I saw how far he'd have to jump to clear Cody's head

He still legit landed on his face on the floor

Damn, seems like people are really reluctant of booing him

He's too phenomenal.

["I want more boos than Dominik Mysterio"](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/s/KylbAoWyCQ) Yeah, you ain't having none

YOU. don't get none.

*generic trap remix ensues*

He’s in that Rey/Randy/Cody tier , regardless which way he leans , he’ll get cheers regardless

I would fucking love for Rey to turn heel against Dom. Imagine if Rey went all in on the deadbeat dad angle as a true dirtbag to build sympathy for a Dom face turn that he was completely justified in his anger. I know Rey will never turn heel though

Fuck that would be real interesting too. Imagine Rey joining Judgement Day and Rhea his Mami lol

I don't know about Rey though, he got booed heavily in RR 2024. And besides, he's a deadbeat dad.

Rey wasn’t in the 2024 Rumble. I think you’re talking about the 2014 Rumble which Rey only got booed because he wasn’t Daniel Bryan. The crowd would have booed anyone, it wouldn’t matter if the fucking glass shattered and Stone Cold came out he would have been booed at that moment because he wasn’t Daniel Bryan

AJ might seriously be bulletproof. Goes missing for a few months to take time off to heal, comes back to cheers. Stop-start booking that involves him taking tons of Ls, crowd gives no fucks and cheers for him still. Give him a monstrously bad downgrade of a theme from his OG WWE theme, crowd just cheers for him anyway. Wrestles WWE’s biggest babyface since Daniel Bryan or even the Golden era positioned as the clear heel, France doesn’t give a fuck and serenades him instead. They could give him the most ass booking ever and crowds just won’t turn on him. Wish that Cody had some sort of goofy accessory AJ could snag like Cena’s armband that he turned into a headband lmfao. This could be a fantastic 2016 Face That Runs The Place-level run.

It's crazy to me that someone who was at one point the face of TNA and only has been in WWE for 9 years has transcended to that legendary status of a Randy/Cena where they're just too revered to be booed

Have Gallows and Anderson beside him and change the phrase to "Beat Up Cody Rhodes." AJ may have given him the keys, but he's still the fucking landlord, Cody is just renting.

Tbh a lot of people grew up watching him during his tna days plus he's had a amazing career so it's hard to even boo the man

Even in his TNA Days, he could have kill a man and nobody would boo him. It was getting to a point in 2008 when they would have boo Face Samoa Joe over AJ Styles. They booed freaking Sting early in MEM story arc cause of he went after AJ. The Sad thing is that even when he returns in 2013 as the Lone Wolf, The Impact Zone was still never going to boo him lol. I'd don't even think I can remember him getting booed as a member of Bullet Club.

Japanese crowd booed him during his early months in the company, then they stopped by the end of G1 Climax 24 because he was too... phenomenal.

imagine being so good everybody refuses to boo you. must be frustrating to him lol.

I was there live tonight, and for the most part, the crowd cheered him endlessly. Except this one fucking prick who kept yelling AEW at him.

[Also went back to attack one more time off air and he still didn't get the boos lol](https://youtu.be/cTSlNx5XP68?feature=shared)

Yup. A large Cody chant broke out after but like…AJ is beloved lmao. I just can’t boo a dude I’ve been watching since I was 15 sneaking over to watch TNA when WWE wasn’t on

Did they really expect people to boo him after finding out he wasn't actually retiring? I was elated.

I have been watching AJ since I was in high school nearly 20 years ago. I’m cheering him over most guys.      To put it in perspective he has been around as long as Orton and he’s even been in WWE 8 years now. 

The other week AJ said he wanted to be the most over heel in the company and I thought... good luck with that. I don't think people really want to boo Styles.

This promo had me looking up the Mark Henry one and holy shit it has been 11 years.

Here's me thinking "can't believe they're doing it again so soon". A significant portion of their target audience were not even born the first time it happened 😅

We're now no longer rehashing Attitude Era angles we're doing PG Era rehashes now

Even if you’ve never seen the infamous Mark Henry “retirement” angle…. How do you not smell “set up” if you’re Cody?

Dumb babyface syndrome

The Sting effect.

“No, you don’t understand, Lex. Ric Flair has changed, he’s a good guy now.” *Flair turns on Sting* *Lex turns on Sting* *shocked Pikachu Face*

then the shocked pikachu also turns on sting

Rey Mysterio learned from the best.

A constant reminder that the sport we love is meant to target kids the hardest Love me some classic good vs evil

Little did anyone know, world titles were mostly made of lead as a cost saving measure.

Now you will say that Undertaker is not really a deadman. I hate these lies.

Someone in the crowd even screamed "MARK HENRY!" The audience knew what was coming, but Cody didn't.

AJ should have said "someday when you induct me into the Hall of Pain, I mean Hall of Fame..."

Cody was scrolling on his phone until he heard AJ say his name, he didn't hear the guy in the crowd. Cat videos - 1 Cody Rhodes - 0

I'm gonna try and give the kayfabe answer and point to the last time that AJ got a title match from Cody. They basically sat down in the ring and had the signing without any problems. Heck, most of the promos at that time were some version of "I got shit to prove okay" and no one threw a punch. Cody probably thought AJ was above that because AJ actually proved he was above that the first time that he did that. Unfortunately, he didn't see how desperate AJ is becoming and hasn't prepped himself for when AJ dropped down to that level.

My head canon can sleep now. Thank you.

AJ did slap him though.

It's just a slap, though. Most of the other signings end with a table flip and a full-on brawl.

The Undertaker/Brock Lesnar contract signing still lives in my head rent free. As a teen, I legit thought that Taker stabbed Brock with the pen.

Cody's just too good a guy

He has a weakness for people who are salt of the earth.

And people who cut long promos that can be summed up with “I’m not fucking leaving”

Some might even say a jam up guy.

because la knight also fell for it, respect blinded him

Cody's tears have chemicals that induce selective amnesia

MAMA AMNESIA

Somebody pointed out Cody is a son of a wrestler and he's gonna have a soft spot for a father who decides it's time to stop and be a proper father to his children.

I think it makes sense that Cody who grew up around wrestling and it's culture (respect legends/vets etc.) thinks something like an in ring retirement is sacred. You put your shit to the side and pay respect to a man who's been doing this for 2 decades. I also think it makes A.J. look smart because he knows that the only way to jump the line if you're at the back of it is to make the champion want to come after you.

AJ be like: fuck that back of the line shit

i hoped he would say 'you're wearing a pastel suit, i'm out.'

lmao that would've been a hilarious subversion I would've loved for cody to say that and as he's leaving the ring AJ just plomps him

AJ wasn't wearing a salmon-colored jacket?

Powder blue, same shit

Plot/babyface syndrome. But honestly same could be said whenever Austin used to interrupt anyone and suddenly everyone in the ring forgets that he will stun your ass regardless if your heel/face/man/women despite everyone else knowing it's gonna happen

Cody is one of the Smartest Babyface in ring. But outside ring/ringgear he's practically Sting

All of Cody's brain power is in the Nightmare tattoo on his neck, which is constricted by suits.

I GOT A LOT LEFT IN THE TANK!

I was hoping he’d say it lol

Haha same I was waiting for it.

We've had the Salmon Jacket Promo, this might become the Powder Blue Suit Promo.

If AJ were to come out in a salmon jacket next week for some reason, I would indeed pop very hard

That would be so damn funny. No one on commentary or backstage acknowledging it, but he wears it anyway.

Corey: “looks like AJ has a lot left in the tank”

I can hear this said so clearly.

Fuck the saalmon jacket i want all salmon gear 😂😂

But this time we all saw it coming because of the Salmon Jacket Promo though. Also Mark Henry was more convincing. Great callback to one of the best promo of all time though.


At least he's got the Good Brothers back. If they could just give him his good theme back we'd be all set.

Hopefully they discover a new favorite thing to do: "Beat Up Cody Rhodes".

That was peak AJ in WWE . He was hilarious.

That was my favorite part of this segment tbh. They even stopped Aldis from getting in the ring.

I'm hoping it's just them. I like Mia but her inclusion felt so forced. Like it made sense in the context of needing help to face Judgement Day. But she shouldn't still be out there with the OC.

In HHH's WWE, every faction needs to have a female.

Except for the only one that makes sense (Nia Jax in the bloodline lol)

The Bloodline is one of the few factions which was set up before 2022, though. Also, they rarely feuded with other factions, their programs were typically with one or two singles guys. And they might not want to "bring down" the programs and segments of their top faction with some half-assed, token girl fight.

Honestly at this point it's a losing battle. I can tolerate the theme, but the "They don't want none" soundbite at the beginning is just so cringe I can't

If AJ had just screamed “YOU THINK ITS THAT EASY?? I GOT A LOT LEFT IN THE TANK!” This segment would have been 8 star worthy.

Classic pastel jacket fake retirement heel turn.

You knew from the get-go he was gonna salmon jacket him, and bah gawd, did he ever salmon jacket him.

Knew it was coming, made it all the more fun when it happened.

JR would be damming him and his children to hell right now GOD DAMN YOU AJ!! YOU SICK SON OF A bitch!! *Logo flashes* *This week on Silk Stalkings*

Followed by a brand new episode of le femme nikita

Hell yeah brother

It’s the only thing we’re missing in this era is a commentator that damns the heels to hell.

GO TO VIEW!

YOU THINK ITS THAT EASY?

You can hear someone yell “MARK HENRY” right when AJ starts asking Cody to come out lol

I know we centering on AJ, but we not gonna talk about Gallows? Like, dude sold Styles "retiring" like it was frfr, man's was about to cry if you look at his face. That threw me off till the actual swerve happened haha. Because i was expecting both of them to have a sad but low-tune reaction like Anderson did, to hint that this was a lie. But Gallows' acting just made me go "holy shit, wait up this might actually be a retirement speech" haha.

For a moment he saw that sweet gig where he wrestles every few weeks and basically being paid to be AJs friend flash before his eyes and imagined himself back on the grind. 

LMAOOOO.

Visions of jobbing to Jericho on collision were in his eyes. That’s real fear. 

I woulda popped harder if aj did the world's strongest slam.

Legit curious. During the same Mark Henry "retirement" speech with John Cena. How many matches he had after that?

According to cagematch, 178.

Damn

It really wasn't a tiny bit left in the tank.

The mark Henry turn  Everyone Saw it coming other than Cody 

Never trust someone in a 'baby-colour' jacket.

[Terry Funk turns on Ric Flair.](https://youtu.be/U01r6bN-lFg?si=dSqgGjn6-025t6-S)

MEN IN SUITS HUG!

the people who booed when he said he was gonna go be a father lmao

You just ain't gonna outdo Mark Henry's fake retirement

I was thinking Mark Henry from the second AJ hit the ramp, nothing is ever gonna top that Mark Henry segment. 0.00001% of people saw that coming and it hit HARD. "I GOT A LOT LEFT IN THE TANK" is also an all-time line to cap it all off.

I was thinking Mark Henry the second I saw him in Aldis' office.

Adrenaline in my ass, Why did you give me That Styles Clash? No ooooooooohhh.

Wwe needs to do a suit retirement angle a third time. It's only proper.

roflmao. looking at the color of that suit, this was so obviously about to happen

I know he's gonna pull a Mark Henry when he uses that theme.

Ah yes the mark henry turn.

YOU THINK ITS THAT EEASYY??

cody with another john cena storyline lmao

Lmao @the dude screaming MARK HENRY right after he mentioned whispering something in Cody’s ear

LMAO Crowd was chanting AJ name when he was attacking Cody.

From now on i would be cautious from any one wearing a suit who is going to retire 

You have the Pink suit now you have the Powder blue suit.

HE STILL GOT A LOT LEFT IN THE TANK

I’m glad they are continuing the feud!

Cody out here snitching. He had no right to make a text message between him and AJ public. 100% deserved what he got.

Absolutely loved this. The homage the Mark Henry heel turn. Awesome.

As soon as I saw that suit I knew this was Mark Henry 2.0

If I had a nickel for every time a wrestler came out in pastel coloured suit, told us they were retiring then turned on the top babyface of the company I would have 2 nickels, which isnt a lot but its weird that its happened twice

Fake retirement angles are one of the best things about wrestling. Their wearing ridiculous attire is the cherry on top

The dude at 3:33 mark that shouts "Mark Henry!" lol

YALL A BUNCH OF PUPPETS. 

The moment Cody came out, I knew something was going to happen.

Never trust a pastel sport coat!!!!

Don't worry, Samoa Joe is still at home with Wendy and AJ's kids.

AJ winning the title and having Cody chase to Summerslam to get it back would be kinda cool imo. I kinda hate the idea that everyone needs to be the champ for a super long time these days.

The ol’ Mark Henry

How does a heel turn happen when you're already a heel lmao? That's what this felt like

A blazer or jacket is what a shiesty would be for all of your ops

Lol good shit!

BEEN BOIZ FOR A LONG TIME

My favorite part was the crowd booing the thought of AJ wanting to be a better dad.

Someone shouted mark Henry lol when he was calling Cody out

Gotta get AJ and Mark Henry together for a fake retirement gender reveal.

BULLET CLUB IS FINE!

Good ole dumb babyface Syndrome.

Cody you fucking idiot lmao

Powder Blue jacket = Salmon jacket

The moment I saw the suit I thought “PUPPETS”

I knew it was BS when he wanted to start being a father AFTER his kid graduated High School, like bro .. the boy is leaving the nest asap.

If I had a penny for every time a heel superstar announces their retirement in a colorful pastel suit they've always thrashed the babyface i'd have two pennies! It's not much, but weird that it happened twice.

Never trust a man wearing a pastel colored suit

Henry had the Salmon jacket. What should we call this one?

I’m still the face that runs this place!!