After all this time, why now?

[Doctor Awesome]

All reports and speculation are leaning towards A.J. Styles finally inking a deal w/WWE. At this point the details are speculative but the popular consensus is that he will spend very little, if any time in NXT and be a main roster performer. obviously, none of us know for sure what his deal is for length-wise or expectations of his role in the company but it's just killing me trying to figure out "WHY NOW"? This is the company that says "never say never" but they pretty much did say never, even Triple H showed zero interest.

I will say this, his work in New Japan has been my absolute favorite of his career, and that's saying a lot. Have they finally gotten over the stigma of him being a TNA guy? Forgotten that he was of no interest to them over the last several years because he was over the age of 30 (it does seem they have gotten over that initiative in lieu of signing several established guys in their 30's)? Has his work been that outstanding that they must have him???

It's very puzzling why now but I really hope that they make the most of his tremendous talent and book him not only with guys he has worked with through various stages of his career but also the WWE home grown talent that could benefit from working programs with him.

So, I ask you all...WHY do YOU think they decided to sign him NOW at 38 years old? What's the plan for "The Phenomenal 1" A.J. Styles in WWE?

 

[J.J.]

I thought there was an offer on the table once before? AJ Styles has vocally said in the past he didn't want to be part of WWE. But at this stage in his career I imagine he is seeking a payday. I still see him going to NXT - but the recent string of injuries may impact this. But I would not be surprised if he is on the main roster right away.

 

[Doctor Awesome]

I thought there was an offer on the table once before? AJ Styles has vocally said in the past he didn't want to be part of WWE. But at this stage in his career I imagine he is seeking a payday. I still see him going to NXT - but the recent string of injuries may impact this. But I would not be surprised if he is on the main roster right away.

I think the offer was for developmental at around $400-$500/wk when he was in his late 20's. I wouldn't have taken it, either.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I thought there was an offer on the table once before? AJ Styles has vocally said in the past he didn't want to be part of WWE.

I think the offer was for developmental at around $400-$500/wk when he was in his late 20's. I wouldn't have taken it, either.

I was under the impression there were discussions between Styles and WWE just a few years ago, and that statements he made at the time suggested he figured he'd be cashing in big time and when Styles found that WWE didn't think he was worth nearly as much as he did, Styles came up announcing he never wanted to be a part of WWE in the first place.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Why are you so quick to put this on WWE? Who says AJ wanted to go to WWE at all before now? It sounds like TNA took great care of him for many years. He spent some time overseas but now may want to be closer to his family more often and is finally biting Vince's apple. Maybe at a higher price but like you said, "his work in New Japan has been my absolute favorite of his career". Maybe Vince or someone in WWE is paying attention to that too. AJ Styles work in TNA was not always stellar. He struggled with a lot of his material. He did nothing to make Claire Lynch tolerable and his Dixie feud was laughable. WWE likes guys who can make the outside the ring stories work. Before NJPW, did AJ show that ability or was he just another guy with Indy cred and a few IWC appreciated matches under his belt?

Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe AJ had HHH on speed dial and his signing is all due to the injury big hitting WWE hard. Just because the Cena news came out yesterday doesn't mean WWE didn't know about it for a longer period of time.

As far as what he will do, my guess is carry the NXT brand with Joe so Balor can be called up to the main roster. Once they find some talent to replace him, he will get the call up and they will run some "Little Engine That Could" storylines.

 

[J.J.]

I believe there was a TNA stain there. But I believe a lot of that perception changed once Samoa Joe signed and they realized his value to the NXT program. I heard Austin on Flair's podcast months back openly say the WWE needed to sign Stules. Styles like a lot of these guys possess a lot of experience in the business. But I still prefer him in NXT for time being.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

The Network is newly offered in Japan & Styles spent the last few years tearing the arenas down in New Japan.

WWE probably offered him more money than they offered before which makes sense. He was a relative no one when WWE offered him a contract before. Now he's a multi time champion.

He'll spend a little time in NXT to help get the Japanese market interested in the network and then he'll be brought up to the Main Roster where he belongs.

I for one can't wait

 

[Navi]

From what I read he's doing this for his family's security. The WWE probably offered him enough money, and he'll retired after a short stint. I can't see him being around for the next 5-6 years, not with his bad back and all. They will get what he can give before he calls it a day.

 

[ShinChan]

As Frank N Stein said, this move is surely to attract Japanese audience. Moreover, WWE is injury-hit now and need the star power that AJ Styles possesses. Whatever be the reason, I am too happy because i loved his stint in TNA as he & Austin Aries were my favorites there. I hope Balor Club is formed before Wrestlemania 32 so that we can see them debut at Wrestlemania 32. Also Balor Club should have Balor, Styles, Anderson & Gallows. No Nakamura please. Nakamura should come solo.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

First of all, I didnt know until few days ago, but AJ Styles was in WWE before

http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/surprising-wwe-appearances

so its not like they never wanted him.

Second of all, I feel like IWC is on standard mode with this one. And by that I mean "Oh look, my favorite wrestler is in WWE, oh no, they are gona misuse him and he will job to Bo Dallas in few months". Just relax and enjoy. He needs money and wanted to try something more then losing to who knows what in Japan and you got to see him wrestle in a biggest promotion on Earth. Even if he does job to Cena and Reigns(and he would not, if they reached for him chances are that they would at least make him look decent with money they pay him) you got to see him in WWE. So it has to worth something.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

First of all, I didnt know until few days ago, but AJ Styles was in WWE before

http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/surprising-wwe-appearances

so its not like they never wanted him.

Second of all, I feel like IWC is on standard mode with this one. And by that I mean "Oh look, my favorite wrestler is in WWE, oh no, they are gona misuse him and he will job to Bo Dallas in few months". Just relax and enjoy. He needs money and wanted to try something more then losing to who knows what in Japan and you got to see him wrestle in a biggest promotion on Earth. Even if he does job to Cena and Reigns(and he would not, if they reached for him chances are that they would at least make him look decent with money they pay him) you got to see him in WWE. So it has to worth something.

Agreed; people need to realise that it's come down to AJ's personal decision and what's best for him in his life at the time. And now, praise the gods, is the time. Just because a guy's on the far side of 30 does not mean he has nothing valuable to contribute, nor does it mean WWE will just drop him in the midcard.

I think we could well be in for a short-but-sweet main eventer not unlike Stone Cold's time on top, but it remains to be seen. Look at Austin and the Rock, just cause their main event time was quite short (2-3 years) doesn't mean it wasn't awesome. We don't know yet what the plans for Styles are.

 

[OYDK]

First of all, WWE has had interest in Styles over the years, but money always seemed to be an issue.

So one reason could be that, as people get older, especially in the pro-wrestling business, it becomes less about themselves and more about the people around them, like their families. AJ Styles is 38 years old at this point, and I'm sure that age had a lot to do with his decision to finally come to the WWE. He's had a good career, all that's left to do now is plan for a future outside of wrestling. It could be as simple as, WWE offered him more money than anybody else.

Another reason could be, as GSB said, WWE didn't see Styles as a top-tier player before his move to NJPW/ROH. Styles only became a true indie legend after re-inventing his character outside of TNA. He's proven himself as a top draw around the world. He has much more value to WWE now than he ever did 5-10 years ago.

And it could be because of all the injuries. It could be because they want NXT to become it's own giant thing. There could be a number of reasons. If I were to guess, I'd say money.

It always comes down to the money.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

He is 38..
There are a hellova lotta blockbuster matches that he can be booked for.
He is still sells tickets and WWE can us him to elevate young talents..
He will get some solid money that also suits him plus he will surely go into the WWE Hall of Fame if he makes it..
WWE needs him now and he should be bought straight into RAW if he comes..
Dont introduce him to NXT..He can do NXT after 2-3 years..
Make him wrestle at WM32 like:
AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan vs Kurt Angle for the IC title at WM32
or
AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose at Wm32 etc etc..

 

[Jack-Hammer]

First of all, I didnt know until few days ago, but AJ Styles was in WWE before

http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/surprising-wwe-appearances

so its not like they never wanted him.

Second of all, I feel like IWC is on standard mode with this one. And by that I mean "Oh look, my favorite wrestler is in WWE, oh no, they are gona misuse him and he will job to Bo Dallas in few months". Just relax and enjoy. He needs money and wanted to try something more then losing to who knows what in Japan and you got to see him wrestle in a biggest promotion on Earth. Even if he does job to Cena and Reigns(and he would not, if they reached for him chances are that they would at least make him look decent with money they pay him) you got to see him in WWE. So it has to worth something.

Yeah, I mentioned this in the other thread concerning the signing/possible signing of Styles, Nakamura, Gallows and Anderson. Whenever someone with a lot of buzz is signed by or said to be close to signing with WWE, here come the IWC prophets to predict how WWE will misuse them, how they'll be buried, how they'll ultimately be failures, how they're ultimately being signed so that Vince can water down their legacy, etc. You notice that it's pretty much only WWE that gets this sort of reaction; if someone with buzz signs with TNA, ROH or whomever, said announcement is almost universally lavished with praise and images of greatness begin dancing in their heads.

If various reports are accurate, Styles was doing quite well for himself in Japan and I highly doubt that WWE signed him for cheap. The last I heard, Styles had a net worth of about $5 million and if his house is any indication, he's not hurting for money. The only reason that I can see why he'd really want to come to WWE is because of money, which leads me to believe that WWE is going to pay him something akin to what we're seeing with Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio has a downside guarantee of over $1 million, which leads me to believe that he's not going to be jobbed out as it'd be a major waste of money on WWE's part. My guess is that it'll be something similar with Styles in that he'll be making enough to where just jobbing him out, burying him or whatever would be a simple waste of investing significant capital in him; it'll be a piss poor business decision so I don't think Styles will be jobbing to Bo Dallas.

If he does go to NXT first, I don't think it'll be for more than a few months, if that. Unlike Samoa Joe, there's been constant buzz about Styles and his work in Japan that's resulted in highly acclaimed matches, programs and a couple of IWGP Heavyweight Championship runs since he left TNA.

 

[Rocky84]

Why are you so quick to put this on WWE? Who says AJ wanted to go to WWE at all before now? It sounds like TNA took great care of him for many years. He spent some time overseas but now may want to be closer to his family more often and is finally biting Vince's apple. Maybe at a higher price but like you said, "his work in New Japan has been my absolute favorite of his career". Maybe Vince or someone in WWE is paying attention to that too. AJ Styles work in TNA was not always stellar. He struggled with a lot of his material. He did nothing to make Claire Lynch tolerable and his Dixie feud was laughable. WWE likes guys who can make the outside the ring stories work. Before NJPW, did AJ show that ability or was he just another guy with Indy cred and a few IWC appreciated matches under his belt?

Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe AJ had HHH on speed dial and his signing is all due to the injury big hitting WWE hard. Just because the Cena news came out yesterday doesn't mean WWE didn't know about it for a longer period of time.

As far as what he will do, my guess is carry the NXT brand with Joe so Balor can be called up to the main roster. Once they find some talent to replace him, he will get the call up and they will run some "Little Engine That Could" storylines.

If WWE knew about Cena's injury for a longer period of time why wouldn't they have him get surgery right away instead of missing Wrestlemania? Why would they have him wrestle on Raw with it? That makes no sense.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

If WWE knew about Cena's injury for a longer period of time why wouldn't they have him get surgery right away instead of missing Wrestlemania?

I'm speculating that Cena tore his labia in his match with Del Rio or at a house show shortly thereafter. Surgery timing would not have any effect on his ability to compete at Mania.

But once it was clear that he was out WWE upped their offer to Styles out of necessity. Maybe they withheld the Cena injury news a little longer because they didn't want Styles camp to have more leverage.

Why would they have him wrestle on Raw with it? That makes no sense

Do you think the word "longer" has to mean more than a month or something?

 

[Azane]

Ehh, I wouldnt be super surprised to see Styles get jobbed around, He is a TNA guy, so him looking "bad" makes WWE look better (in their booking minds).

Styles didn't sign before because he wasn't getting the royal treatment, he was used to being the big fish in a little pond in TNA (Even though TNA's roster was literally legendary). Like people are mentioning, AJ Styles, Nakamura, and the others are big in Japan, WWE Network releases in Japan the same week that these "Rumors" happen, keep in mind, WWE.com is reporting these rumors, so they're very likely fact.

Either way, AJ's in a spot that's only a couple steps below Sting, which is a very good place to be, quite a few dream matches I want to see with WWE stars, right now, my money is on a Balor Club vs Wyatt match for Wmania.

 

[whoopin' ass]

The why is simple - wwe is hurting in the ratings, Styles is known so him coming over will hopefully give them a pop. After all those years of trying to deny TNA, wwe finally needs their poster boy. When he comes over, they get a new face for thier audience but a veteran who knows how to work(although I am sure they are going to have to "reteach" him) and will pull in new viewers(or so they hope) and get those ratings up. Why wouldn't they bring him and the others in? Of course the problem is if you have already given up on wwe, this isn't going to help because you know full well they are not going to push Styles. Look already - it isn't Styles Club, it is Balor Club. Styles isn't the focus. So in the end, they may get a few more viewers, they may get a little more internet chatter when he shows up but it isn't going to matter because Raw and Smackdown are not about wrestling anymore so how is bringing in a wrestler really going to change things?

 

[Rayne]

Look at the WWE's roster and there's your answer; most of their top guys are going out with injury six months out of twelve. Cena's out, Orton's out, Bryan's out, and this isn't an extremely unusual state of affairs; at any given time, at least one of your top guys is going to be on the shelf.

At the same time, the lack of top guys limits the amount of people you can build from within your own system. The guy that's getting the big push, Roman Reigns, just had a main-event feud with.......... Sheamus. You don't get to be a star by beating elevated mid-carders.

So from the WWE's perspective, in AJ Styles they're getting someone who's already established with their audience; he's the largest catch to have yet to fall into the WWE's net. Him performing for the WWE won't bring in ratings in-and-of itself, but he'll be a great tool to build other guys around. So yes, he is going to come in, wrestle a few high-profile matches, job to Reigns, and likely be a full-time Chris Jericho for a couple of years. But the only way he won't have a good run in the WWE is if your marker for success is how many and which belts he gets to wear.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Why now?

There's a couple of potential reasons... one of which is a seperate thread that's coming...

The other? The well is almost dry of talent they can bring in who will not only interest the casual fan, but get the fanboys drooling for something they've not seen before.

AJ Styles is fresh to most of the WWE fans, any match he has there with 90% of the roster will seem totally unseen before (even if he faced them on the indies) and the potential matches themselves could be great... Styles v Neville, Styles v Rollins, Styles v Ambrose are just 3 that would be VERY good... that's before Balor or any of the other 3 potential signings gets involved...

WWE needs something, Kurt, The Hardyz, Goldberg have all been seen before... AJ hasn't so it's smart business.