Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Watch Corey LaJoie Do His Best AJ Styles Impression During WWE Backstage Tour
Corey LaJoie was more than game to experience a day in the life of WWE Superstar AJ Styles.
WWE Superstar AJ Styles wasted no time returning a favor to NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie by bringing him on a tour behind the scenes of Monday Night RAW.
The "Race For The Championship" star previously gave Styles an inside look at what it’s like for him to prepare for a NASCAR Cup Series race as part of the “Welcome To My World” series from USA Network. The duo ended that trip by promising to do it all over again at RAW, which is just what they did.
The video starts out with Styles showing LaJoie the ropes, literally.
He shows the driver how to dive into the ring, noting he’s got a pretty good natural talent for the under-the-rope slide-in. However, what truly impresses LaJoie is getting an up-close look at the ropes because wasn’t expecting them to be real nor as firm and tight as they are.
RELATED: NASCAR And Its Drivers Getting On The Same Page Over Next Gen Cars, Safety Concerns, Jeff Burton Reveals
“They look on TV like they’re bungee cords, that’s how you guys use them,” he says. “They are not bungee cords ladies and gentlemen watching at home!”
Styles explains the constant bouncing off the ropes that WWE Superstars have to do every day does indeed hurt, which is why they condition themselves so often to be able to handle the punishment it takes and still put on a good show.
“We’re athletes, this is a real thing, it’s what we do,” Styles says.
After a few in-ring basics, Styles treats his guest to the next most important part of being a WWE Superstar, the entrance down the aisle to the ring. It turns out, a good Superstar walk actually begins backstage with what Styles calls going "gorilla."
“Nice guy AJ is gone, 100 percent gone,” the Superstar explains. “When I step through that curtain, I turn into a pitbull, if you will, or a bulldog. A Georgia bulldog.”
Just before he’s supposed to go out, he limbers up, starts getting amped and getting in the headspace of his WWE persona. LaJoie likened it to the green flag and the pace lap, where he as a driver gets fully in his head and lets everything but racing fall away.
The two then ventured outside to the WWE arena where Styles’ entrance music played and he broke down the steps he takes to get the crowd hyped up for his in-ring antics. Once he showed LaJoie how it was done, it was time for the NASCAR driver to give it a shot with some of Styles’ wardrobe. The racer joked that it felt like putting on “Superman’s cape.”
Despite being a first-timer, LaJoie managed to do a pretty good Styles impression, landing his signature hair flip and hand gestures before strutting down the aisle to the ring, where he expertly hoped the ropes and joined his friend.
The two concluded their tour by sitting in the stands before the crowd filed in to talk about why they do it. Both agreed that, although their sports are very different, it’s the energy and excitement of the fans that bring them to work every day.
You can catch LaJoie on “Race For the Championship” every Thursday at 10/9c on USA Network. Meanwhile, you can catch past episodes of RAW on Peacock now.