AJ Styles Face or Heel Turns

AJ Styles is one of the most famous professional wrestlers in the world. His real name is Allen Neal Jones and he was born on June 2, 1977, in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He did not have a very comfortable childhood but managed to get into Anderson University for his graduation on a wrestling scholarship. He soon transitioned from amateur wrestling to professional wrestling and became The Phenomenal One we all fell in love with.

He began his pro-wrestling career in 1998, and since then has performed in promotions such as NJPW, TNA, and WWE. He has won numerous titles throughout these promotions including winning the world titles. Some wrestlers work best as good guys while others shine the brightest portraying the villain. However, AJ Styles stands among those few names who have excelled both as a babyface and also as a heel.

Is AJ Styles a Babyface or a Heel?

As of November 2024, AJ Styles is a babyface in WWE. He was previously a heel and had a brutal feud with LA Knight, and then against Cody Rhodes. After his feud with the latter, Styles made a few appearances in Pro Wrestling Noah and returned to WWE on the October 4, 2024, episode of SmackDown. Styles turned babyface on this appearance. However, he sustained an ankle injury during this match.

AJ Styles On-Screen Character History

According to the SmackDown Hotel, the following is the evolution of Styles' career as of November 22, 2024,

Character History	From	To
Face	October 2024	Present
Heel	February 2024	October 2024
Tweener	December 2023	February 2024
Face	December 2021	December 2023
Heel	July 2019	December 2021
Face	April 2017	June 2019
Heel	May 2016	April 2017
Face	January 2016	May 2016
Heel	April 2014	January 2016
Face	August 2013	April 2014
Heel	February 2013	August 2013
Face	February 2011	January 2013
Heel	January 2010	February 2011
Face	October 2003	January 2010
Heel	June 2003	October 2003
Face	January 1998	June 2003

Before joining WWE (1998 - 2016)

AJ Styles' pre-WWE career was characterized by frequent shifts between face and heel personas. He began his career as a babyface in 1998, transitioning to a heel role several times throughout the early 2000s. This pattern continued, with Styles alternating between face and heel roles in promotions like NWA Wildside, TNA, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. His character work was often praised for its versatility and ability to captivate audiences, regardless of whether he was playing a hero or villain. He made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble 2016 and was a babyface at the time.

AJ Styles turns heel on John Cena (2016)

After WrestleMania 32, AJ Styles had high-profile feuds with Roman Reigns and John Cena. During his feud with Cena, Styles had a famous heel turn when he sided with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to team up on Cena. There began a heel turn for Styles. In this time, he won the WWE Championship once.

A two-year long Face run (2017 - 2019)

AJ Styles turned babyface on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 33. From 2017 to 2019, he enjoyed a stellar two-year run as a fan favorite. He engaged in high-profile feuds with top stars like John Cena, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Samoa Joe, elevating these rivalries to new heights. He held the WWE Championship for more than a year during this time and also won the United States Championship twice.

Heel Run and The Undertaker’s final match (2019 - 2021)

On the July 1 episode of RAW, Styles attacked Ricochet and turned heel again in WWE. Thereafter, he had a two-year heel run. During this period, he had a great feud with The Undertaker including headlining WrestleMania 36, which was also the last-ever match of The Phenom. During this heel run, The Phenomenal One won the RAW Tag Team Championship, the US Championship, and the Intercontinental Championship and became a Grand Slam Champion.

AJ Styles turns face (2021 - 2023)

AJ Styles was attacked by Omos in December 2021 and turned babyface. The Phenomenal One would go on to stay a good guy for the next two years. He was not as active in the ring as in his previous stints and did not win any major titles in WWE. He wrestled in both RAW and SmackDown during this period.

AJ Styles turns serious (2023 - 2024)

After a brief hiatus, AJ Styles returned to WWE in December 2023 Over the next few weeks, Styles became more and more serious and eventually turned heel on the Road to WrestleMania XL. He then had a feud with LA Knight and Cody Rhodes before turning babyface in October 2024.