AJ Styles has looked back on his WrestleMania history, and which match is the one he holds in the highest regard.
While The Phenomenal One has faced off against the likes of Chris Jericho, Edge and The Undertaker at the Show of Shows, the latter being The Phenom’s final match, Styles stated that his greatest Mania match was against someone who is not seen as one of the all-time greats in the squared circle.
Speaking on his Phenomenally Retro podcast, the former WWE Champion picked his WrestleMania 33 match against Shane McMahon as his number one:
“Here’s another thing: the best WrestleMania match I had was against Shane McMahon. Yep, it was. You’ve got Shane, who is a perfectionist, he wants it perfect, and man, I get that. We just so happened to be able to place things where they should be in the storyline we had going into it, and it made it a perfect match.”
Styles and McMahon competed in the opening match of Mania 33. Even though the 2017 event is not regarded as one of the best iterations of the show, many fans believe that Styles vs. McMahon was the match of the night.
AJ Styles Set To Be Honoured Over WrestleMania Weekend
At the 2026 Royal Rumble, Styles lost to Gunther to bring his in-ring career to a close. Later in the year, Styles appeared live one final time to say goodbye to the fans while his family was also in attendance. Following the segment, The Undertaker surprised AJ Styles and announced that The Phenomenal One would be going into the Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 42.
Styles will join Stephanie McMahon, Demolition, Bad News Brown, Dennis Rodman and Sid Eudy as part of the 2026 class. The WrestleMania III match between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant will be awarded the Immortal Moment award.
Featured image: WWE
