AJ Styles’ first WWE Championship victory remains one of the defining milestones of his run with the company, and the former champion has now reflected on the man standing across the ring from him that night: Jon Moxley, who was competing in WWE at the time as Dean Ambrose.
Styles defeated Ambrose at WWE Backlash 2016 to win the WWE Championship, marking the first time “The Phenomenal One” had held the company’s top prize. The match came only months after Styles arrived in WWE, yet it carried the feel of a major turning point for a performer whose reputation had been built over years outside the company.
During an appearance on WWE Retrospective, Styles spoke warmly about his in-ring connection with Ambrose. He noted that the two had worked live events before their championship encounter, giving him a clear sense that they could produce something memorable once the stakes rose on a premium live event.
“We'd had the opportunity to do some live events together and man, he was so good,” Styles said. “We had great chemistry as well. So I knew this was going to be a really good match.”
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That confidence was important. A first WWE Championship match is a substantial responsibility under any circumstances, particularly for a wrestler who had arrived with enormous expectations and was quickly positioned near the top of the card. Styles was not merely entering another high-profile contest. He was pursuing the championship that, for many fans and observers, represented the ultimate validation of his move to WWE.
Ambrose was the champion entering Backlash, and Styles remembered an opponent whose approach inside the ropes made a demanding main-event situation easier to navigate. Styles specifically praised Ambrose’s timing, calmness and ability to remain steady from the beginning of a match through its closing moments.
“Another guy who has perfect timing in everything that we did and is so calm in there,” Styles said. “I've never met anybody who, I mean, listen, I get over hyped sometimes in my match. Not Dean, he's the same from the first to the last.”
Styles’ comments offer a useful look at what he valued in Ambrose as a ring partner. The two wrestlers brought different energies to their work, but Styles described a chemistry that allowed those differences to complement one another. Styles acknowledged that he can become highly energized during a match, while Ambrose maintained a remarkably level presence. In Styles’ view, that composure was not a lack of intensity. It was a strength that helped Ambrose stay sharp and consistent when the physical demands of a major match mounted.
The former WWE Champion also recalled being struck by Ambrose’s conditioning. Styles said he was exhausted by the conclusion of their Backlash match, while Ambrose appeared able to move on without visible difficulty.
“He never got tired,” Styles said. “I remember being exhausted at the end of this match and I think he just walked by no problem, got him a cup of water and he was fine.”
For Styles, that memory clearly remains vivid because it reflects more than athletic endurance. It speaks to the trust between two performers in a championship setting. Timing, conditioning and composure can all affect the rhythm of a match, especially when both wrestlers are tasked with delivering a performance worthy of the WWE Championship. Styles’ recollections suggest that Ambrose’s ability to remain composed gave their match a dependable foundation.
A Landmark Night In Styles’ WWE Run
The Backlash victory was particularly significant because of how quickly it arrived after Styles entered WWE. He became WWE Champion only seven months after making his debut with the company. That rapid ascent was a major achievement for someone who had spent the bulk of his career as an outside independent star rather than developing within WWE’s system.
Styles addressed the weight of that accomplishment in his retrospective comments. Winning the title was not simply another accolade for a wrestler already recognized as one of the most accomplished performers of his generation. It represented the fulfillment of an ambition that many people did not expect to become reality, given the path he had taken before arriving in WWE.
His journey had made him a well-known name to wrestling audiences, but a WWE Championship run still carried a separate significance. The title is historically linked to the company’s leading stars, and Styles’ victory placed him directly in that lineage. Seven months after debuting, he had reached the summit of WWE.
The fact that the breakthrough came against Ambrose adds another layer to the story in hindsight. Ambrose has since become one of AEW’s most prominent stars under the Jon Moxley name, but Styles’ memories are rooted in their WWE pairing and the live-event work that preceded their title match. At Backlash, they were two performers working to establish the direction of WWE’s championship picture, and Styles emerged with the title.
Styles’ description of Ambrose as a wrestler with “perfect timing” also underscores why their meeting stands out in his memory. Timing is a quality that can be difficult to quantify, but it is central to professional wrestling: knowing when to respond, when to accelerate, when to pause and when to make a moment matter. Styles’ praise indicates that he felt Ambrose understood those details instinctively.
The First Reign And What Followed
Styles’ first WWE Championship reign lasted 140 days. It ended when John Cena defeated him at the Royal Rumble, closing the first chapter of Styles’ time as WWE Champion. While the loss ended that initial run, it did not diminish what the Backlash victory had established. Styles had proven that he could not only arrive in WWE successfully, but also carry its top championship.
He would regain the WWE Championship nearly a year later and begin a second reign that lasted 371 days. That lengthy run became an iconic part of his WWE resume and further reinforced the impact of his initial title win over Ambrose. The Backlash match may have been the first moment Styles captured the championship, but the success that followed made clear that his ascent was not a brief experiment.
In that sense, the match against Ambrose can be viewed as both a culmination and a beginning. It culminated years of work that had made Styles one of the most respected wrestlers in the industry before he ever reached WWE. At the same time, it began his legacy as a WWE Champion, opening the door to a pair of title reigns that included both a 140-day first run and an eventual 371-day reign.
Styles’ reflection does not focus on rivalry or controversy. Instead, it centers on professional respect. He remembered the positive chemistry created through their earlier live-event matches, the confidence that gave him before Backlash, and the qualities Ambrose displayed once they were placed in a championship environment. The comments paint a picture of two experienced wrestlers whose styles meshed effectively when the moment called for a high-level performance.
That is why the Backlash 2016 encounter continues to occupy an important place in the story of Styles’ WWE career. The result gave Styles his first WWE Championship and delivered a milestone many had doubted would happen for a talent whose career had been defined outside WWE for so long. The match itself, meanwhile, left Styles with a lasting appreciation for the man now known as Jon Moxley.
For Styles, Ambrose’s steady demeanor, precise timing and exceptional gas tank were essential ingredients in making the match work. For WWE history, the result marked the moment “The Phenomenal One” became WWE Champion for the first time. Both elements remain inseparable from the legacy of Backlash 2016.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.