In an interview with The Whig, New Japan Pro Wrestling superstar AJ Styles commented on his departure from TNA Wrestling, the company’s recent troubles, WWE not picking up his WCW contract and more.

Highlights of the interview are below:

On WWE not picking up his WCW contract: “The only contact I had was Johnny Ace telling me that they were not picking up my contract. It was depressing there for a little bit, but it was one of those things where I said, alright, I’m going to go back to the indies and I’m going to find a way to make a name for myself.”

On his TNA departure becoming public: “Ultimately, Dixie’s the head honcho there. If you’re the head honcho of any business, you’ve got to take responsibility for the good things and the bad things, you’ve got to hire the right people. If you’re not smart enough to make this decision or make the right decision, then you hire someone who’s smarter than you to make that decision for you.”

On TNA’s recent troubles: “You’ve got guys that are still busting their tails there and you’ve still got some great wrestlers there. To be honest with you, I don’t want to see TNA going out of business, a lot of people would say, I bet AJ is happy, I’m not and it’s sad. I hope that TNA does not go under, because there are a lot of wrestlers that deserve to be there, that deserve to be doing well for themselves. After 11 years, you’d hate to see something like that go. Everybody has a first love, it’s one of those kind of girls that you’re glad you’re not with her anymore, but at the same time, you hope the best for them, because deep down inside, there’s always going to be a special place in your heart for them.”

The interview is available in full at this link.