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WWE Star Gets Compared to ‘Young AJ Styles’

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Xaiver Aguiar | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 2:27 PM ET

If AJ Styles worked the entirety of his career in WWE, more casual wrestling fans would have him in the greatest of all-time conversation. He might not be a larger-than-life character akin to Stone Cold Steve Austin or John Cena, but in all the fundamental metrics of the business, Styles is a generational performer. He earned the 'phenomenal' moniker and will go down as one of the best in-ring workers in history.

At this point, Styles has a reputation for being a wrestler's wrestler—someone to be endlessly praised or brought up to set an example. That's why it's shocking a former ECW standout compared a rising NXT star to the former WWE champion.

While talking on Busted Open Radio, Tommy Dreamer said he saw shades of Styles in Je'Von Evans. "If I'm drafting a team, Evans would be my number one draft pick," Dreamer said. "He's so young and entertaining—he does everything. If I look at him, I would say you have your next AJ Styles when Styles was in TNA."

In a field with so many conditioned specimens, Evans is on a different plane athletically. He doesn't rely solely on his aerial arsenal—he can also be a bruiser and has a wide array of power moves.

Evans needs to grow on the mic, but he is currently doing an excellent job portraying who he actually is behind the curtain—a 20-year-old blue-chip prospect hungry for gold and respect. If he can even pan out to be 80% of a young Styles, which he can be, a WrestleMania main event will be in his future.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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