In recent weeks, we've heard a lot about AJ Styles' issues with Paul Heyman and the fact he blames the former RAW Executive Director for Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson being released back in April (despite the fact that's ultimately a Vince McMahon decision).
Now, during a Twitch stream, the Phenomenal One has confirmed that, "The reason why I went to SmackDown is because I couldn’t stand looking at [Paul Heyman]."
"I just can’t stand a liar. I’m a grown man, you’re a grown man, why lie? You didn’t even have to say anything," he continued. "So, I just couldn’t stand to look at him, and I was just like ‘If and when the opportunity if SmackDown is available, I can’t be around Paul Heyman. I just can’t stand him. But if there’s ever an opportunity, I don’t mind coming over, that would be great. I don’t want to do anything now because my son if he plays football on Friday nights, I want to be there.'"
"You wouldn’t believe how many people that I worked with despised this guy because of his lies and he’d find ways to throw them under the bus when he screwed up," Styled went on. "He would try to throw them under the bus so they’d get in trouble. I heard this from several, several different people. It was kind of hard to find someone who liked him. And I didn’t know this, I just assumed everybody liked him and I was the only one."
Styles went on to praise WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, and offered some potential insight into why Heyman is no longer serving as Executive Director of the Monday night show.
"Vince is a very smart man and he can see through a lot of crap and I think he finally saw what everybody already knew and said ‘You know what man, you’ve done some great things in the past [but] you’re just not well-liked here, maybe hit the bricks. We’ll let you be the advocate for Brock Lesnar. You do it well, you can’t deny that. He’s good at that. I think that’s as far as it needs to go.’"
These are harsh words from Styles, and there's clearly a lot of resentment there. However, if he has Vince's ear and believes he knows Heyman is all the things he claims, why did McMahon hire Gallows and Anderson back rather than let them go to IMPACT Wrestling?