AJ Styles kept his title as the WWE Heavyweight champ following Sunday night's "Wrestlemania 34" bout and he most likely got some motivation before the fight from his favorite Christian rap music.
The wrestling superstar told Relevant Magazine that he loves listening to this genre a lot, especially when he's on the road with the WWE. He looks to Christian rap music as his "community" when he can't be actually in church because he's in the competitions.
"Church doesn't have to be a place," Styles said. "When you're around other Christians, you can get excited about Jesus together, therefore you worship as a church together."
Styles revealed that he has Lecrae on in his car these days. He also likes to listen to Tedashii, Trip Lee, NF, T-Bone, KS2 and even '90s rap artists like Antonious and Lil' Raskull.
The wrestler grew up with a strong foundation in Christianity. His parents took him to church regularly as a child and he had a preacher's wife for a babysitter. But it wasn't until he was a high school sophomore that Styles took his faith seriously. He made the conscious choice to accept Jesus.
"I remember them saying if anybody wants to give their lives to Jesus please raise your hands," Styles told Rapzilla. "We all had our eyes closed and I was amongst friends and I thought everybody would raise their hands, and they didn't," Styles further said. "I was the only one. That night I accepted Jesus, and my life started changing."
An association with a youth pastor molded Styles into his faith further and sometime in the mid-90s he discovered Christian rap. He joked that his obsession prompted him to keep buying CDs, which didn't go down well with his wife.
Styles also said that he loves the idea of having original Christian rap music as his entrance song at the WWE. He regrets, however, that it might not be possible since decisions like these lie with the wrestling organization and not with him.
Styles has previously said he doesn't think his participation in the WWE is in conflict with his Christian beliefs. The "Wrestlemania" champion said fans mostly respect the fact that he's a believer and he also doesn't force his beliefs on anyone.
