Nov 8th 2026 11:17am

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Says He Can ?School? Anyone on Christian Hip-Hop

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Says He Can ?School? Anyone on Christian Hip-Hop

Posted: Feb 29th 2016 By: Justin Sarachik - Rapzilla.com

WWE superstar AJ Styles has been in the wrestling business a long time, but did you know that even before stepping into the ring he?s been obsessed with Christian hip-hop?

Styles took some time on an off day to chat with Rapzilla about wrestling, his faith, and, of course, his affinity for God inspired rhymes.

AJ has been a Christian since he was a Sophomore in High School, and he recalls the exact night it happened.

He and some friends had gone to see a play called a Judgment House. In the play, you follow two characters, a boy, and a girl. They get into a car wreck and one goes to Heaven and one goes to Hell.

?I knew I didn?t want to go to Hell,? Styles said but revealed it didn?t scare him to Christianity because he always sort of knew about God.

Growing up, his babysitter was the preacher?s wife, and his parents took him to church. However, that night, when it came down to make a decision about the afterlife ? ?I was ready.?

?I remember them saying if anybody wants to give their lives to Jesus please raise your hands,? the wrestler shared. ?We all had our eyes closed and I was amongst friends. And I thought everybody would raise their hands, and they didn?t. I was the only one. That night I accepted Jesus, and my life started changing.?

AJ revealed that the breakup with his girlfriend went terrible, and other things started getting weird for him too. He wound up asking another girl out and she told him to come to church with her. There, he met the youth pastor and was taught to be a ?Christian man? and the rest is history.

Now as a WWE superstar with a platform and celebrity status, he tries his best to outwardly live his faith. Styles said being in wrestling is no different than living your life as a Christian among other people at a normal job. There will always be things around you to distract you from your focus but you have to remain steadfast.

?There are some things that are maybe a little bit harder because there are attractive women around but you can?t forget who you are and what you have,? he said. ?I love my wife, I love my kids and at the end of the day is it really worth it to live with that guilt??

The wrestling business seems to have been good to his beliefs as well because he does not recall ever being put into a storyline that compromised his Christianity or made him feel uncomfortable. He said they know who he is and they are respectful of that.

As a Christian, Styles loves listening to Hip-Hop artists who are believers. He boasts that he can ?school almost any rapper on the history of Christian hip-hop? (Will anyone take the challenge?)

His love affair with the music began in the mid-90s when his wife, then girlfriend, bought him a DJ Dove tape in 1997. He went to a Christian bookstore called Celebration and bought the whole rap section of artists on the Grapetree record label. Some of his favorites were Lil? Raskull, FTF, and L.G. Wise.

However, the West Coast-based K2S turned out to be one of his favorite rap groups. He would buy CD?s even if he didn?t like it that much because ?Where else was I going to get Christian rap music?? His wife would be upset because he would keep buying the records even when money was tight.

?Christian rap is huge now. I remember listening to GRITS and then I met them at Universal Studios and they were able to do my music,? said the performer. ?I became good friends with these guys, we still keep in touch this very day.?

In fact, Styles heard their recently released new track, ?Skin Deep.? He said it was ?so different? and speaks to why he enjoys them so much.

He also cites T-Bone as another guy he makes people listen to because ?he just tears it up.?

?The 116 crew, holy cow, all of those guys. Trip Lee, Lecrae, Tedashii?those guys are tearing it up, It?s amazing to hear those guys,? Styles said excitedly. ?Those guys remind me of Grapetree which was 15 to 20 years ago.?

Unfortunately, AJ can?t have a song made by this generation of Christian rappers because it isn?t about him saying yes anymore since signing to the WWE. ?I would love it, but when you have an entrance song that is in the top 200 on iTunes, you can?t really say too much about that.?

He continued, ?I love those guys and would love for them to do something for me. I can?t tell you how much I enjoy this music. I make the kids listen to it whether they like it or not.?

Now, of course, the most important of questions was asked, ?If you had a chance to train one of your favorite Christian rappers in the ring, who would you pick??

?I would have K2S as my tag team partners?Tedashii is Samoan, right? He?s gotta be an athlete? Lecrae is tall, so you never know??

 

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

Latest News

1
The Scoop

The Scoop

NEWS It was recently announced that Charlie Haas, Al Snow, Rick Martel, Titus O’Neil, and Lance Russell will all be inducted into the George Tragos &am... Read More

All Columns

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1967 Billy Red Lyons became the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 2009 3rd Rail def. Se7en for the SWCW Luchadore Title
  • 2009 Se7en became the SWCW Luchadore Champion
  • 2014 Bobby Starr def. Guy Atticus for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 2019 Gorgeous Garcia def. Brock Landers for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 2025 Stephen Nitro became the NAW Indigenous Land Champion
  • 2025 Rex Mori def. Rook Tyler for the TexPro Dynasty Title

Week of Sun 11-08 to Sat: 11-14

  • 11-08 1967 Billy Red Lyons became the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-08 2009 3rd Rail def. Se7en for the SWCW Luchadore Title
  • 11-08 2009 Se7en became the SWCW Luchadore Champion
  • 11-08 2014 Bobby Starr def. Guy Atticus for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-08 2019 Gorgeous Garcia def. Brock Landers for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 11-08 2025 Stephen Nitro became the NAW Indigenous Land Champion
  • 11-08 2025 Rex Mori def. Rook Tyler for the TexPro Dynasty Title
  • 11-09 1960 Danny McShain became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 11-09 1976 The Spoiler def. Bill Watts for the TSW North American Title
  • 11-09 1978 Ron Bass became the TSW Brass Knucks Champion
  • 11-09 1986 One Man Gang def. Terry Gordy for the UWF Heavyweight Title
  • 11-09 1986 Savannah Jack def. Buddy Roberts for the UWF Television Title
  • 11-09 1986 Bill Irwin & Leroy Brown def. John Tatum & Jack Victory for the UWF Tag Team Titles
  • 11-09 2002 Sonny C def. Butch Dalton for the OCW Oklahoma Television Title
  • 11-09 2002 Dexter Hardaway def. Terry Montana for the OCW Oklahoma Hardcore Title
  • 11-09 2012 Kyle Kelly def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 11-09 2012 The Swamp Men (Amphibian & Reptile) def. The Legion of Bromance (Justin Lee & Max McGuirk) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 11-09 2013 Michael Wolf def. Kidd Krash for the OWA Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 11-09 2013 The Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) def. The Sharpe Brothers (Chaz Sharpe & Richard Sharpe) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-09 2013 Kidd Krash def. Michael Wolf for the OWA Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 11-09 2019 Double D def. Dexter Hardaway for the EmpCW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-09 2024 Birdman def. Umbra for the WAH Spotlight Title
  • 11-09 2024 Hell's Kitchen (The Canadian Red Devil & The Lunchador) def. The Grudge (Dr. Corvus & Giganto) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 11-10 1976 Bill Watts & Billy Robinson def. Karl Kox & Ken Patera for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 11-10 1987 Matt Borne def. Ted Arcidi for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 11-10 2002 Kool Ade def. Li'l Joe for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-10 2002 Jeffrey Parker def. Kool Ade for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-10 2007 Cheerleader Melissa became the AACW Womens Champion
  • 11-10 2007 Oliver John became the AACW Internet Champion
  • 11-10 2007 Jack Dalton [2nd]/Jack Legacy became the AACW Mid-American Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-10 2007 J. D. Rebel & Fuel became the SECW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-10 2011 Uncle Mikey & Michael Titus became the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-10 2018 Alex Royal def. J. D. for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 11-11 1964 Danny Hodge became the TSW Missouri Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-11 1985 Eddie Gilbert & The Nightmare def. Wendell Cooley & Al Perez for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 11-11 1988 Eric Embry def. Jeff Jarrett for the WCCW World Light Heavyweight Title
  • 11-11 2006 Mustafa Sharmoot def. Glen Steel for the AACW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-11 2017 Running Wolf def. Dusty Gold for the NAW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-11 2022 Nova Phoenix became the CPW Women’s Champion
  • 11-11 2022 Koko def. Tommy Dean for the CPW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-12 1979 Bill Watts & Buck Robley def. Mike George & Bob Sweetan for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 11-12 2002 Baby B def. Jeffrey Parker for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 11-12 2011 The Jersey Kings (Scott Riley & King James) def. Pork Chop & Shane Cortez (subbing for Big Smooth) for the SRPW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-12 2022 Ronnie Morton def. Ryan the Ripper for the RDW Brass Knucks Title
  • 11-12 2022 Andrew Fenix def. Dove Puro for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 11-12 2022 San La Muerte became the WAH Spotlight Champion
  • 11-12 2022 Elijah Sparks def. San La Muerte for the WAH Spotlight Title
  • 11-13 1950 Verne Gagne became the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-13 1964 Angelo Savoldi def. Hiro Matsuda for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 11-13 1965 Jack Brisco became the TSW Missouri Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-13 2010 Arrogant Money (Randy Price & Austin Tacious) def. Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-13 2010 Awesome X (Kevin Morgan & Xavior) def. Arrogant Money (Randy Price & Austin Tacious) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-13 2015 The Pen Palz (Skyler Fayden & Dimitri Alexandrov) became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
  • 11-13 2015 Lance Osburn became the SRPW United States Champion
  • 11-13 2015 Jon Cross def. Riker for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-13 2021 Rebel Hearts (Christian Temple & Justin Gray) def. The Psychotic Messengers (Maniac Mike & Malachi) for the EPW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-13 2021 Striker def. Warren Powers for the EPW All-American Title
  • 11-13 2022 Subject to Death (Leo Fox & Derek James & Cade Fite) became the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
  • 11-13 2022 Derek James became the BPW Lion Heart Champion
  • 11-13 2022 Cappuccino Jones def. Derek James for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 11-14 1980 Bruiser Brody def. Stan Stasiak for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 11-14 2009 Goldeneye def. Sage for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 11-14 2009 John O'Malley def. Aaron Neil for the IZW Heavyweight Title
  • 11-14 2009 Running Wolf def. Michael H for the 412PE Heavyweight Title
  • 11-14 2010 Greatness On Demand (Rage Logan & Damon Windsor) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 11-14 2015 Aaron Neil def. Double D for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 11-14 2015 Nemesis (Bobby Starr & Damien Morte) def. The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 11-14 2015 Rolling Thunder became the NAW Heavyweight Champion
  • 11-14 2020 Alex Royal def. Sam Stackhouse for the WFC Heavyweight Title
  • 11-14 2020 Dimitri Alexandrov def. Tim Rockwell for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
11-08
  • Treach Phillips, Jr. Nov 8th Today!
  • Rika Wildlee Nov 8th Today!
  • Austin Mulitalo Nov 8th Today!
  • Dizzy Davis Nov 8th Today!
  • Kolossus Nov 9th
  • Lance Osburn Nov 9th
  • Joyce Grable Nov 9th
  • Nick Patrick Nov 9th
  • Jean-Claude Boudreaux Nov 9th
  • Gil Knutson Nov 9th
  • Menace 2 Society Nov 9th
  • Kinzer Keel Nov 10th
  • Danny Savich Nov 10th
  • Bob Orton, Jr. Nov 10th
  • Marshall Von Erich Nov 10th
  • Prince Tapu Nov 10th
  • Brandon Moxley Nov 11th
  • Green Dragon Nov 11th
  • Little Cloud Nov 11th
  • Luigi Columbo Nov 11th
  • Alex Perez Nov 11th
  • Ty Thunder Nov 12th
  • Austin Tacious Nov 12th
  • Vickie Lynn McCoy Nov 12th
  • Brett Taylor Nov 12th
  • Terrale Tempo Nov 12th
  • Thud Powell Nov 12th
  • Gary Tool Nov 12th
  • Varik Vayne Nov 12th
  • Big Smooth Nov 13th
  • L. J. McDaniels Nov 13th
  • Kirk Castle Nov 14th
  • Kyle Kelly Nov 14th
  • Tiny Bell Nov 14th
  • Shane Sanders Nov 14th
  • Killer Cross Nov 15th
  • Sean Pearl Nov 15th
  • Super Beast Nov 15th
  • Armin Syzlack Nov 15th
  • Killer Cross Nov 15th
  • Brieanna Bringle Nov 16th
  • Kikutaro Nov 17th
  • Kenny K Nov 17th
  • Snowman Nov 17th
  • Johnny Graves Nov 17th
  • Johnny Weaver Nov 17th
  • Chase Bristow Nov 17th
  • Drake Gallows Nov 17th
  • Brent Wall Nov 17th
  • Josh Hogan Nov 17th
  • Chris Russo Nov 18th
  • Reaper Nov 18th
  • Everett Kibbons Nov 18th
  • Ricky Gibson Nov 19th
  • Turnbuckle Tim Nov 19th
  • El Matador Uno Nov 20th
  • Casey Platinum Nov 20th
  • Red Berry Nov 20th
  • S. L. U. G. G. Nov 20th
  • Johnny Rich Nov 21st
  • Babs Wingo Nov 21st
  • Afa Nov 21st
  • Shane Douglas Nov 21st

More Look Back In History

Card Results

1