Although he has only been with the WWE for a little over a year now, former WWE Champion AJ Styles is already one of the top stars in the company today.

Styles is a former mega-star for organizations such as Global Force Wrestling (GFW) (formerly known as TNA or Impact Wrestling), Ring Of Honor (ROH), and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). He has solidified himself as one of the greatest in-ring technicians the industry has ever seen and has been part of some of the best matches of all time.

Now that he is with the WWE, Styles has had the chance to legitimize his legacy by embarking on a tremendously successful run with the largest professional wrestling empire the world has ever known.

"The Phenomenal One" has won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Dean Ambrose, had an amazing feud with longtime promotional frontman John Cena, and is currently the United States Champion on SmackDown Live after swapping the title multiple times with Kevin Owens.

Throughout his run in the WWE, however, Styles claims that he has had multiple 'stepping stones' to get to where he currently is within the company, and in a recent interview with the In This Corner podcast Styles named "The Big Dog" Roman Reigns as the one that stands out amongst them all (quotes via Wrestling Inc.):

"I look back at stepping stones and that was one of them wrestling Roman because he was definitely a big name here at WWE and still is.

"I wanted to show that we could have a great match but little did I know how great Roman was -- a lot better than most people think. He was outstanding.

"He's a lot more athletic than people ever knew. He's on another level and I was glad to be in the ring with him to show everybody that he is and that this guy can hang with AJ Styles. To me, it was a great feud."

Styles is currently locked into a feud with Baron Corbin on SmackDown Live and is expected to defend his title against "The Lone Wolf" at next month's Hell In A Cell pay-per-view (PPV).

What are your thoughts on Styles calling Reigns a 'stepping stone' in his WWE career, and putting him over for his in-ring ability? Have YOUR say in the comments section below, and the fourth episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here!

Check it out via this link: https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-money-in-the-bank-fallout

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