5 things you might not know about A.J. Styles

Will the Bullet Club come to WWE? I was a huge TNA fan during their glory years and still tune into the show despite the severe drop in quality. One of the best things about TNA was the ‘Phenomenal’ A.J Styles. He was always a crowd favourite and put on some truly amazing matches. Styles vs Joe vs Daniels from 2006 is one of my favourite matches of all time and got me hooked to wrestling. A.J. is responsible for me following promotions such as NJPW. When he made his jump to Japan, I followed him and got NJPW World which I have had to drop.Regardless, the news that Styles has signed for WWE made me insanely excited and prompted me to write this piece. Without further ado, here are five things you (probably) didn’t know about A.J. Styles-

#5 He said he didn\'t want to join WWE

As a guest on MLW Radio’s Talk’n Shop Podcast, Styles said, “Why would I want to go to WWE? I mean honestly… They’re struggling right now with the Network… I’m in the hottest wrestling company in the world—New Japan—and I’m with the hottest wrestling group. We can say it over and over again. It’s absolutely true.”

Well, thankfully he has reneged and we will finally see him where he belongs. In the centre of a WWE ring, perhaps main-eventing Wrestlemania- He will have achieved what he deserved! I am really looking forward to A.J. Styles’ run in WWE and I hope they don’t mess it up.

#4 Started Wrestling by Chance

Hard to imagine pro-wrestling without Styles

The majority of star wrestlers today have been dreaming about this goal since childhood but A.J. Styles was not one of them. Styles originally got into the business due to peer pressure. A few of his friends were trying out professional wrestling school and as fate would have it, Styles decided to tag along with them.

Given his athletic ability, Styles was more of a natural than his friends and went on to have an extremely successful career. If not for this turn of luck, Styles likely would have never gone after pro wrestling. Thank God his friends tried out. Its hard to imagine TNA without A.J. Styles.

#3 TNA\'s only 5 star match

Dave Meltzer’s match reviews in The Wrestling Observer have been a controversial topic for years but we’ve learned in recent history that wrestlers do appreciate the positive feedback. Only a select few matches have ever been granted the perfect five-star rating. Most matches were in Japan. WWE, WCW and even ROH all have a few in their history.

TNA only delivered one match worthy of the “five stars” by Meltzer. A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe at Unbreakable 2005 was judged as a perfect match. Whether you agree it’s the greatest match in TNA history or not, everyone would have to say it was a classic and a must-see affair. Styles won the X-Division title in the tremendous match that you should definitely check out at the earliest.

#2 Replaced Prince Devitt

A.J. Styles’ move to NJPW coincided with Prince Devitt a.k.a. Finn Balor moving to WWE. Styles directly replaced Balor as the leader of the main event heel stable in NJPW, the ‘Bullet Club’. Styles was hugely successful as leader, winning the IGWP heavyweight title twice! For those wondering, the IGWP title rarely changes hands, which made Styles’ win all the more impressive and unpredictable.

With his winning of the IGWP heavyweight title, he became the first NJPW main title winner since Brock Lesnar a decade or so ago. He is also one of only 6 non-Japanese wrestlers to be IWGP heavyweight champion. That is quite the achievement.

#1 He wrestled on WWE and WCW TV

Before the promotion went under, WCW featured A.J. Styles as a part of their Cruiserweight tag division. Along with Air Paris, Styles had a match against Kid Romeo and Elix Skipper as part of the cruiserweight tag title tournament. The match was decent and showcased Styles’ potential. Even the most hardcore of Styles’ probably marks don’t remember these matches.

AJ Styles has taken part in a WWF match in a WWF ring. He took on Hurricane Helms in a match taped for and broadcasted in 2002 on WWE Metal. AJ also worked another match at the time and turned down a developmental contract, instead moving to the indies and subsequently, TNA.