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AJ Styles has created a legacy for himself through various promotions in his career. While outside of WWE he's known for TNA and IMPACT Wrestling exploits, The Phenomenal One got his start in WCW.
AJ Styles (called Air Styles) in WCW was in a tag team with Air Paris called Air Raid. The pair appeared briefly on WCW Thunder in 2001. Considering that WWE brought WCW in 2001, Styles' WCW contract didn't last.
For most WWE fans, Styles was always known for death-defying moves, including the Shooting Star Press. The only thing was that Billy Kidman, a big star at the time, had an issue with Styles using the move.
AJ Styles said Billy Kidman called him AJ Steals in WCW
AJ Styles recounted the events when he started working in WCW on his Twitch stream, and he had a significant issue using the move. He said:
"I don't know if I've ever told you guys this, but I was in WCW if you guys didn't know that, and I did the Shooting Styles Press, which is like a gainer to the outside. Billy Kidman, who was working there, was like, 'What the heck!?' He even called me AJ Steals, which kind of p***ed me off. But he was Kidman, so what could I do? I ended up testing out the Spiral Tap without ever hitting it on anyone because I wasn't sure how that would go (H/T Wrestling Inc)."
AJ Styles came up with the Spiral Tap move, as he believed Kidman was incapable of it. He said:
"The higher-ups asked me if I still wanted to do [the Shooting Styles Press]," Styles added. "I was like, 'You know what? No, I'm just going to do something that he can't,' and that's when I came up with the Spiral Tap. That's why started doing it. Once you stop doing a move like that, though, your body just forgets how to do it. It just does (H/T Wrestling Inc)."
AJ Styles has come a long way since WCW. Looking back, Styles was probably better for the experience.
