AJ Styles reveals receiving backstage heat over Cody Rhodes spot

AJ Styles has revealed that he received backstage heat following a controversial wrestling spot involving Cody Rhodes during their 2024 match at Backlash France. Speaking on the podcast ‘What Do You Wanna Talk About?’, Styles explained that the decision for Rhodes to ‘fire up’ after being hit with a ‘Burning Hammer’ was his own suggestion to create a major moment for the match.

Styles noted that while the move is famously associated with Kenta Kobashi, he viewed it as his own version of the maneuver. Rhodes defended the moment, noting that the ‘Burning Hammer’ is not one of Styles’ established finishers and credited Styles for his desire to evolve their matches.