AJ Styles Interview: Talks New Japan, Takes Shot At TNA Executive, More

ProWrestlingFan

Championship Contender
Chris and Gavin of The Casual Heroes recently interviewed former TNA star AJ Styles. In the interview Styles speaks on signing with New Japan, TNA Executive Vice President John Garbrick, the possiblity of joining Jeff Jarrett’s new promotion:

Signing With New Japan Pro Wrestling:

Well I mean I went to New Japan, the biggest pro wrestling promotion in Japan and one of the most prestigious wrestling companies in the world. A promotion I’ve been a fan of since i got into wrestling. Well, there is a faction named the Bullet Club and they don’t take crap from anybody. I figured why not join that team. I went after a guy named Okada. He was in TNA for a very short time and they didn’t use him very well but obviously he is very talented.

On TNA Executive Vice President ‘big’ John Garbrick’s statement that he offered AJ a fair deal:

Someone there was claiming that TNA was giving me a “fair deal”, well I don’t see it that way. A pay cut isn’t a fair deal. That’s not how business works. It just goes to show you that some people just don’t know what they are talking about. You can cover what you want on your show but I really need to clear that up. It makes me wonder who this is a fair deal to because it’s not fair to the guy that you are giving it to. The company was mismanaged and you could have gone another route instead of doing that. I’ve been with the company for 11 years and saying that was a slap in the face to me for saying it was a fair deal. To take a pay cut, basically half of what you were making, you gotta be real, it doesn’t make sense.
But he doesn’t know what he is talking about because he has only been there for a cup of coffee so… And I’m not bitter at TNA. I’m mad at this one guy, whoever it is that guy that is now in a hiring authority that said he gave me a fair deal.

On the possibility of seeing Styles in Jarrett’s new promotion Global Force Wrestling:

When information is available, I can tell you more but literally i know just about as much as you do on that. If Jeff has something going on, I’d definitely love to be a part of it. I trust Jeff.

---------------------
Full interview at http://www.thecasualheroes.net/sit-j-styles/
---------------------


I have to agree with AJ Styles. You don't ask your top guy to take a pay cut. What a slap in the face. Hope he signs with Jarrett's new promotion.
 
You know, honestly, I just don't care. At least not for this level of drama. Like, at all. This is for these two parties to figure out, or not to, and if they don't, oh well. I enjoyed my time watching AJ for what, thirteen years, in TNA. He gave the fans a slew of great memories that they should forever be thankful for, but he's moved on, and it seems in a lot of ways, so has TNA.

I've likened him in the past to Bret Hart, both in terms of having a deteriorating relationship with the company he worked for, as well as the in-ring product. Well, WWE sure seems to have survived the loss of Hart then, so I see no reason why TNA can't and won't survive the loss of Styles yesterday.

This he said she said stuff is for the birds though, that much I do know.
 
WWe isn't interested in AJ and, as a Georgian, the appeal of long periods away from his family with NJPW is likely to get old quickly. RoH obviously doesn't pay enough if he's going to NJPW. So unless Double J's promotion does take off, I can still see the Phenomenal 1 return.
 
Kinda sounds like he just wants to be Devitt's replacement.

I would be shocked if NJPW lets him go after Okada. If Devitt wasn't allowed, he definitely won't be in the title picture. Maybe they'll let him win the Best of Super Juniors.

Styles won't be in Japan past this contract, then he'll "JOIN THE FORCE".
 
WWe isn't interested in AJ and, as a Georgian, the appeal of long periods away from his family with NJPW is likely to get old quickly. RoH obviously doesn't pay enough if he's going to NJPW. So unless Double J's promotion does take off, I can still see the Phenomenal 1 return.

The only reason he got the NJPW deal was because of ROH. He's still going to be working for ROH throughout the year, it's the only TV company in America he can appear for because of NJPW/ROH's working relationship.
 
Really on both sides of this matter, TNA had the money to pay Styles. They offered him a salary based on market value. He declined. They both moved on. It happens. I get peoples see AJ was what TNA was all about the guy was the heart and soul it was a real bummer when he left. His gimmick at the end was the best thing going in wrestling I just can't believe after he won the title he like literately packed his bags and left TNA only to comeback one more time and lose. Honestly I think any great performer such as AJ himself was great for the company and that if he was to decide to stick around he would be champion still no doubt about it. Since neogations didn't fall through and AJ wasn't getting the right amount of money he left but the way he was written off TV was shitty and he def should have gotten a farewell address. which is,my only problem about this..



I Understand, TNA offered AJ what they felt he were worth. That is how business is done.They're just not overpaying talent anymore. you always hear what Styles was ''The Face of TNA'' despite never being able to draw,for the company. You can't look at a single period in TNA history and look at all the names, and really say "That's when it changed, look at the stark differences in ratings and buyrates!", outside of 2005-2006, and that really had to do more with Styles/Daniels/Joe than it ever had to do with Kurt Angle. TNA was at it's best before they became mainstream etc.


Far as being the face of TNA goes, I'm hard pressed to say Sting! not Styles is the company's biggest draw ever. But he never had that straw to stir his drink so to say. He had Flair from 1989-1992 in WCW, and then Hogan from 1997-2000. But ever since showing up in TNA and for ten solid years he's been the biggest attraction the company has had in terms of making a clear difference. Just like Kurt Angle said, they losing Sting was a big blow, to the company..


I mean think about it in WWE Terms? if Cena was not the biggest draw do you think they would push him ''The Face of the company''.


Before he left, I believe Sting was TNA's biggest merchandise seller, followed by Jeff Hardy of course. So despite never being able to draw ratings or PPV Buyrates, how is Styles '' The Face of the company? Lets remember the ratings for TNA impact has remained the same after Styles left. Sometimes,impact has suffer low ratings from strong competition, like the NBA, NCAA March Madness, Winter Olympics and later this year, NFL, Thursday Night Football.


I'm sure AJ Styles was valuable to TNA, but what is his Market value? is it the same as Punk, Bryan or Orton is to WWE? I doubt it.
 
So... um.... If you don't mind me asking.... Where the "takes shot at TNA exec" part? Because I see him being fairly understandable toward John Garbrick. At least he wasn't negotiating with Dude Love who forgot left and right to even negotiate deals in the first place.
 
So... um.... If you don't mind me asking.... Where the "takes shot at TNA exec" part? Because I see him being fairly understandable toward John Garbrick. At least he wasn't negotiating with Dude Love who forgot left and right to even negotiate deals in the first place.

I hope this is rhetorical, because you know the answer why.

Which of the following two titles do you think is likely to garner more click-throughs:

1. "Former TNA Star AJ Styles Takes Shot at TNA Executive!"
2. "Former TNA Star Has No Problems with Company — Just Didn't Work Out"

Welcome to the Yellow Journalism of sensational and misleading article titles.
 
I can see why AJ might feel that taking a pay cut was unfair, especially after being there for so long. . . Of course the other side of that is with TNA events sometimes drawing crowds of less than 500 and almost always drawing less than 1000 paid, he can't really consider himself a huge draw.

Without knowing exact numbers/terms, it'd be hard to judge what's really fair, but he's probably making more money now anyway and getting the excitement of working with lots of different talents. As a fan, I'd like to see him on TV regularly but not at his own expense.
 
Seems to me Gaburick is revealing himself to be as idiotic as Jim Heard the former WCW president who ran Ric Flair out of the town. TNA will sink deeper with this guy at the helm. TNA has gotten worse and worse.
 
I understand both sides to this.

On AJ's side, he's thinking loyalty was something that should have gotten him a deal bigger or at least the same to what he had. In the Professional Wrestling business, I don't think I've heard of too many instances where performers are taking pay cuts to nearly half of what they were making before. AJ has every right to be pissed at Big. He was messing with the likelihood of his family and forcing him out of the place he called home for over a decade. TNA is the house that AJ Styles built. Up until AJ left, he was the guy that they could have went to with anything and he would have done it out of love for TNA.

On the other side, Big seems to be running TNA like a sport franchise. As you gravitate towards newer, younger talent, some times the guys who have been around for a while get the "What have you done for me lately" treatment. Styles was arguably in one of the best storylines of his career when suddenly he was an after thought. Kind of like the pro athlete that been around for a while, hasn't been that great lately, but all of a sudden puts together a string of games like he/she would have back in their prime. However, due to contracts and payment arrangements, those athletes who may have been loyal their whole career may get cut for financial reason to put that money elsewhere on talent that can actually help them win. This is what Big did. He made the tough choice to let AJ Styles go (contract expired, I know) from TNA. It was a business move, and that's it. I don't believe there was anything personal there.

Letting AJ go was a huge moment for TNA. I do believe that in certain aspects they miss him, but they've brought in plenty of talent and have pushed many talents to fill the void.

AJ wasn't the biggest loss for TNA this year though... it was Sting. You can't replace an Icon.
 
It looks as though TNA did do wrong by asking AJ to take a hefty pay-cut, but at the same time I don't think the ratings have decreased much since AJ left, the house shows have been drawing low numbers even with AJ on the card. So it sounds as if both sides were stubborn when it came to the renegotiation of AJ Styles contract.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
174,847
Messages
3,300,827
Members
21,726
Latest member
chrisxenforo
Back
Top