The STATE of A.J. STYLES

One of the biggest criticisms directed at TNA in recent years has been its heavy reliance on veteran talents who made their reputations in WWE and/or the former WCW. The company has been lacking a bona fide headliner who could be considered a homegrown talent. Along with Samoa Joe (who developed a strong cult following in Ring of Honor and the independent scene before ever setting foot in TNA), A.J. Styles was considered the best candidate to be the federation’s first homegrown breakout star to earn nation-wide recognition among casual fans as well as diehard wrestling followers.

It took Styles a little longer to get there than some expected, but at age 31, he appears to have fulfilled his destiny after winning the TNA World Championship in a five-way match at No Surrender. The bout also included Kurt Angle, Sting, Matt Morgan, and Hernandez.

True, Styles held the world title formerly affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance on three previous occasions but his most recent win began his first reign in four years. In the interim, the number of elite talents and overall depth within TNA has improved considerably. During the early days of TNA, Styles would fight the same handful of opponents while Jeff Jarrett took the lead as the promotion’s main star. Today, there’s much more diversity on the roster and competition for valuable airtime on Impact broadcasts.

Styles’ performance in the ring has never been an issue, and he’s always had the look of a star. The “Phenomenal One” possesses an extensive repertoire of aerial and traditional moves and possesses both remarkable agility and outstanding conditioning. Despite his smaller-than-average frame (5-foot-10, 215 pounds) he is also powerfully built. It’s not for nothing that he’s become a TNA Grand Slam Champion, having held every belt in the federation at least once: the World heavyweight title, five NWA world tag team championships, a record six TNA X division championships, and the Legends belt.

Styles has earned the nickname “Mr. TNA” through his longevity. Along with Jeff Jarrett, Styles is the lone wrestler who appeared on the company’s first pay-per-view event that is still working for the company today. TNA has made it worth his while financially and psychologically to stay put. In TNA, he’s a well-paid headliner for a national promotion. If he were to someday leave for WWE, chances are that he’d be slotted as a mid-carder—if only for WWE to once again attempt to make a point to fans that former WWE mid-carders (such as Christian) may be headliners in TNA but most TNA stars are of mid-card quality.

The issues that held Styles back in recent years have had more to do with his persona than his ability. Although Styles’ is a thoroughly modern wrestler in terms of his strategies and maneuvers in the ring, in other ways he’s a throwback to the old territorial days. His most natural role is that of a soft-spoken fan favorite who prefers to do most of his talking in the ring. One could easily picture Styles as the star attraction of a late-1970s or early-1980s southern promotion.

Over the years, Styles has worked hard at improving his promos—his stints as a heel have helped somewhat in that regard—but he’s never going to be one of the sport’s great orators. Styles, who grew up in poverty in Georgia and lacked the access to watch pro wrestling on television during his early childhood, took a while to get comfortable in front of the cameras and to deliver convincing promos. The comedic sketches and backstage discussions that most TNA (and WWE) wrestlers engage in on television don’t come naturally to Styles, but he gets through them without damaging his credibility.

Something else that held Styles back temporarily was his willingness to get bogged down in meaningless feuds and to play second fiddle to other wrestlers. It can be argued that Styles benefited in the long run from his time as a member of Christian Cage’s “Christian Coalition” and Kurt Angle’s “Angle Alliance” (the predecessor of the Main Event Mafia). While Styles later scored some big wins over Angle, it could be argued that Styles was already capable of doing so. For too long, Styles seemed content to have phony “achievements” bestowed upon him—such as Angle’s grandiose coronation of Styles as “The Prince Of Phenomenal”—rather than competing for TNA’s real prizes, which he’d already shown he was eminently capable of winning.

What’s more, these associations wasted valuable time and forced him to do the bidding of others while removing him from the World championship picture. Even Styles’ activities as a member of the Frontline—battling the Main Event Mafia—have sometimes forced him into matches that have not served his best interests. In the wrestling business, it pays to be a little selfish, because if you don’t look out for yourself, no one else will.

Styles has always had the ability to put on electrifying performances in the ring. For good reason, his aerial attacks have always drawn the most attention among the moves in his repertoire. He gets tremendous height on his jumps from the top rope and he executes flips with acrobatic precision. But there’s also plenty of steak to go along with the sizzle. His Styles Clash, tornado DDT, and suplex variations rarely miss the mark. While his lack of size sometimes comes into play against superheavyweights, Styles compensates with his speed and stamina, and has long since adapted his amateur wrestling background to the pro style.

A fighting champion even when he was a heel, Styles has never been one to back down from a challenge. He already has the members of the Main Event Mafia, Morgan, Homicide, and grapplers who currently compete in the X division (including two-time former title holder Samoa Joe) clamoring for shots at the TNA World championship. Don’t think for a moment that fellow fan favorites such as Hernandez aren’t gunning for Styles, either. The champion is always a marked man. As Styles himself could readily attest, the battle lines between “good guys” and heels have become blurred over the years. Although Styles seems likely to remain a fan favorite for the foreseeable future, we’ll probably see him become a rulebreaker again if that’s the most effective way to retain the title.

While lengthy title reigns are a rarity nowadays in wrestling, Styles has the skills to compile an impressive run. When the reign comes to an end, he’ll still be poised to remain a central figure at the top of TNA’s card for many years to come. In the short-term future, he’s a safe bet to improve significantly upon his number 19 rating in next year’s “PWI 500.”