What’s the story?
WWE Superstar AJ Styles recently took part in a Q&A session at Wizard World Portland on Friday night where he spoke about his time in TNA. Styles was asked an array of questions, some of them related to his run in Impact Wrestling.
When asked about his time in the company, Styles said the following:
“Ring of Honor treated me real well, and New Japan treated me like a Superstar. So I’ve got to give credit to them, who helped boost my ego a little bit because it was definitely flattened due to TNA’s service.
But then — doing all that and then having the opportunity to come to WWE and… you know, whether people like it or not, WWE is easy, the biggest — you know, when it comes to wrestling, it doesn’t get any bigger than the WWE.
And being there means you’ve finally made it.”
In case you didn’t know...
AJ Styles was one of the very first wrestlers signed by TNA after its formation. And it was here that The Phenomenal One realised his true potential. However, after being the face of the company for over 11 years, he left TNA in 2013 citing contractual disagreements.
It was later revealed that Styles was being forced to take a pay cut due to TNA’s depleting financial situation.
The heart of the matter
Over the past few years, Styles has been very vocal about his fallout with TNA. While he acknowledges the role that TNA played in his career, he felt that the company’s mismanagement of talent in recent years could not be justified.
Also read: WWE News: AJ Styles on the difference between being a main eventer in WWE and TNA
During the Q&A, Styles revealed that even though the talent in TNA believed that they could put the company on the map, the owners (referring to Dixie Carter) didn’t see them capable of doing so. He further added that Carter wanted to see TNA as WWE-lite, something that he and other guys did not agree with.
Check out the video of the Q&A session below:
What’s next?
Since leaving TNA, Styles has garnered the reputation of being one of the best wrestlers on the planet and is currently a top draw in WWE. He had a phenomenal 2016 in WWE (no pun intended) and has looked great thus far in 2017.
If rumours are to be believed, AJ Styles is set to take on Shane McMahon at Wrestlemania 33. While the news might not excite his fans, it could turn out to be a surprisingly great matchup.
Sportskeeda’s take
While his run with TNA might not have ended on a good note, we believe that the things turned out just fine for The Phenomenal One.
WWE themselves admitted that it was one of the best debut years for a wrestler in the history of the company and that is a true testament to the greatness of the man we have come to love as AJ Styles.
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