AJ as a heel works. But please Hogan, turn him face again!

[Suneeboy]

The new AJ Styles is fun to watch, but to be truthful, I really miss the old AJ Styles. The Ric Flair rub has its moments, but when I see Flair cutting promos over him, or AJ coming out with a robe to Flair’s music I always let out a little “sigh”. A part of me was upset that night AJ Styles turned heel. Not from a mark standpoint, but from an entertainment standpoint as I really wanted a young and fresh face to root for that was TNA through and through.

With AJ Styles as a heel, TNA has no homegrown top face to represent what TNA is bringing to the table. The old fighting spirit, small town kid who was living his dream worked great, and he fit the mold so well. The fast life, big spender is cool too, but it’s just not what TNA needs from AJ Styles.

AJ Styles should be a face again, and be on his own. Flair’s blessing is great, but it doesn’t have consistency on screen as AJ needs more room to work, and he can get more room as a face. What can be done?

At Lockdown, Flair can turn on AJ Styles, and take The Pope under his wing, in turn giving the Pope the belt for a month or maybe even two. The Pope’s gimmick can mesh a lot easier with Flair’s. The Pope’s gimmick is also easier to transition into a heel. Also, I have a feeling that the Pope as a face can get stale very quickly, which a heel turn can easily prevent. With the Pope so over right now as a face, a heel turn would work wonders, and easily have the fans fall back in love with AJ.

Not Jeff Hardy, not RVD, not Sting, not Hogan, definitely not Abyss, not anyone. Only AJ Styles can be the top face at this point in time. He represents TNA, and he is the people’s champ in my eyes. TNA is new to many people, and they need a poster boy. Hogan is too old to be a poster boy. Make AJ a face again, and have him lead TNA to the top of the mountain.

Do you agree or disagree and why? Would you turn AJ face again, or iss TNA better off with AJ as a heel?

 

[jrichardson25]

I have to totally agree. I dislike AJ as a heel. I always have. When he was Christian's lackey with Tomko, it was pretty pathetic... When he came through this last time and won the TNA World Title, I was going like "Finally they did something right". I spoke way too damned soon. AJ as a heel is horrible. It is like having Hogan as the TNA Champ... AJ has the look, charisma and sure as hell has the abilities to be THE baby face of TNA. This was a pitiful move on TNA's part because it came out of left field and didn't make any sense. It still doesn't. AJ is a down to earth man so this guy he is now is just Ric Flair Lite....

Sorry for the rant but it was needed... I think that turning Pope as you said could be an idea but he just recently turned face (if I'm not mistaken). The rate of heel and face turns blurs the lines quite a bit and personally I am not a fan. Anything that has Flair turning on AJ would push hm face especially if AJ got screwed out of the title in the process...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think Styles works as a heel at all, at least not in the heel roles TNA has had him play over the course of his career.

When Styles was a member of the Christian Coalition and was one half of the tag champs a few years back with Tomko, he was little more than a comedy heel. He gave truly lame promos and often behaved in ways that reminds me of Abyss' current character, not nearly as neurotic but just as corny. Styles also wore a Jerry Lawler type fake crown to the ring, which only further enhanced the goofy heel persona he was trying to pull off. Comedy heels can be entertaining as long as they're the right person and they're used in the right way and I never saw it with Styles. He wasn't funny, he wasn't entertaining and he wasn't the right person to use. Styles is, and has been for a long time, one of the best in-ring wrestlers alive today and that ability took a backseat to a silly gimmick that ultimately benefited nobody in the end.

Styles' current role as a heel and protoge of Ric Flair is a definite step up, but I still can't really get into it overall. I see AJ Styles imitating some of Flair's mannerisms, his "wooos", a bimbo on each arm, etc. and not a bit of seems genuine. I just don't buy into anything he says when he cuts a promo because I think we all know that the character he's playing is too far removed from who he actually is in real life. And Styles doesn't have the acting ability to pull it off, he's just not good enough in that particular area in my opinion.

Styles has long since established himself as the face of TNA and he's done it to such a degree that it's genuinely hard to see him in another type of role. It all comes back to believability for me. As the face of TNA, Styles is a passionate, hard working wears my heart on my sleeve kind of guy and it feels authentic. He's quite confident in that role I think because I think it's something that's more natural. I can't picture Styles as "the next Nature Boy" anymore than I can picture Flair as a flag waving patriot with Old Glory in one hand, a 2x4 in the other and screaming 'Hoooooooooooooooo!!!!" every 10 seconds.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I agree that AJ would be great as the face of the company later down the road, but now he has to get some recognition. He had the role of the champion and face of the company for months, but it didn't get him anywhere. I don't think this heel turn is going to be permanent, it just adds a few layers to his character. Besides Sting, Anderson and Wolfe, there really isn't too many heels to work with.

I loved Pope as a heel too, but he is one of the most over faces on the roster. I really don't know what Samoa Joe is since he has flipped between heel and face over the past few months. I hope we could see Abyss turn back to his old school heel self but I doubt it. I think Hogan is going to push him as the face of the company. Basically it comes down to who are the fans going to cheer for more? You put AJ Styles in a ring with Jeff Hardy or RVD, Hardy and RVD are going to go over huge along with The Pope.

AJ hasn't been great as a heel but I think he is improving every week. I think he is a better heel now and more legitimate with Flair then he has ever been. As I said before Styles doesn't need Flair forever, but it doesn't hurt to have him to make him a top star. That way when he turns on Flair he can be an even bigger face in my opinion.

 

[Suneeboy]

I agree that AJ would be great as the face of the company later down the road, but now he has to get some recognition. He had the role of the champion and face of the company for months, but it didn't get him anywhere. I don't think this heel turn is going to be permanent, it just adds a few layers to his character. Besides Sting, Anderson and Wolfe, there really isn't too many heels to work with.

Name recognition is better achieved as a face than as a heel. He had the role of champion and face of the company, BEFORE they became direct competition with the WWE. As soon as Hogan and Bischoff came in, they turned him, and we really didn’t get to see what he can do on his own first. Also, he has plenty of heels to work with, and the benefits of having a face champion, is you can have him feud with faces also. Sting, Anderson, Wolfe, Morgan, Pope, RVD, Hardy, Angle, Abyss, Joe. That’s 10 feuds right there.

I loved Pope as a heel too, but he is one of the most over faces on the roster. I really don't know what Samoa Joe is since he has flipped between heel and face over the past few months. I hope we could see Abyss turn back to his old school heel self but I doubt it. I think Hogan is going to push him as the face of the company. Basically it comes down to who are the fans going to cheer for more? You put AJ Styles in a ring with Jeff Hardy or RVD, Hardy and RVD are going to go over huge along with The Pope.

Pope as a face is fun, but for the same reasons they turned AJ heel, they can turn Pope heel with a bigger payoff, and far more heat. You put AJ in the ring with Jeff Hardy or RVD, AJ won’t get over shadowed because his skills speak for themselves. I don’t think anyone can over shadow him in the ring at this point in time. If Kurt Angle couldn’t do it, RVD or Hardy certainly can’t. They may get an initial bigger pop, but AJ will even the tide 5 minutes into the match.

AJ hasn't been great as a heel but I think he is improving every week. I think he is a better heel now and more legitimate with Flair then he has ever been. As I said before Styles doesn't need Flair forever, but it doesn't hurt to have him to make him a top star. That way when he turns on Flair he can be an even bigger face in my opinion.

If he doesn’t need Flair forever, than how long does he need him? If he hasn’t been great as a heel, why keep him heel? He’s GREAT as a face. What better time to turn on Flair than next month at Lockdown? Flair 2.0 isn’t a fail by any means, but looking at the big picture, it’s not the best option.

 

[moegreen2009]

im sorry to say this but a.j styles to me may be the best wrestler in the business today , no body is holding a candle to him , now dont get me wrong kofi kingston , jeff hardy , justin gabriel, i mean how tna is using him is garbage now when he first showed up he was great now he's with flair in this corny ass shit they got going on is horrible.

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

I agree on some points.

First let me say, I must be in the minority that actually enjoy A.J. as a heel. It's not like his normal heel personality of thinking he is better then everyone has changed much, he's just getting mentored by someone who does it 1000 times better then him. Every week he seems to be getting better and improving his mic work which I think you can attribute to the fact that Flair takes some of the burden off.

Having said that, of course he is going to turn face again and I agree if he were to turn face at Lockdown, it would work pretty well. Also the Pope can definitely pull off the Flair clone a lot better then A.J. can. He just oozes the kind of womanizing, shallow, cockiness that Flair does (in a good way).

But it doesn't HAVE to happen this soon. The Pope can serve as a solid Face/Tweener because of his charisma and reminds me of the Rock in some ways (Blasphemy!)
so I don't think he would get stale quickly at all.

I also don't agree on A.J. having to be the face of the company just yet. Being the face of the company requires more charisma the wrestling ability and you need someone who can cut great promos and wrestle decently to be the absolute face of a company, not someone who can put on great matches and cut decent promos. I'm sure in time, A.J. will have the skills, but not just yet.

 

[Rasha]

Name recognition is better achieved as a face than as a heel.

Wow, that sure isn't true. Flair, HBK, The Rock, HHH, Orton, Undertaker, JBL, Douglas, Raven, Kane... all found their niche and "name recognition" as heels. Face or heel has nothing to do with it. The key for AJ is finding a gimmick that allows him to stay fresh on the Main Event level, and his last run as a face showed me that he's very stale in that role. He could survive, but you make him dependent on charismatic heels to carry the feuds.

AJ as a face is really no better than Rey Mysterio. Nobody would say that Mysterio should've been a Main Eventer, so why would it work for AJ? He needs the heel gimmick because he sounds more natural on the mic and can thus have a little more flexibility in his angles and feuds.

Let me put it to you this way... flip AJ and Abyss as the face/heel in their current feud. How boring would that be? The matches would be fine, but the promos would make even Batista cringe. Now look at what you currently have with those two and they're both in solid, entertaining roles.

I also think you're forgetting about Samoa Joe. You don't want both AJ and Joe as faces, and Joe is so much better as a face. He has the badass persona, explosive ring style, and the mic skills to fill that role better than any TNA original. So if you're more concerned about having a "flagship face" and less about AJ himself, then don't worry. He's still in a van somewhere, but he's coming.

 

[mikeyboy]

I love AJ as a heel, he in some ways reminds me of Tully Blanchard, no doubt this is because of the influence of Flair. So I say keep him heel.

 

[Suneeboy]

Wow, that sure isn't true. Flair, HBK, The Rock, HHH, Orton, Undertaker, JBL, Douglas, Raven, Kane... all found their niche and "name recognition" as heels. Face or heel has nothing to do with it..

Face or heel has nothing to do with the amount of exposure and marketability a wrestler receives or has the ability to receive? Heels go out there and promote the company with the media on the level that faces generally do? Name a heel other than nWo Hogan that was ever on the level of a Rock, Austin, Cena, etc. We are talking about carrying a company and being the trademark of a brand. Kane, JBL, Douglas, Orton have not done that. HHH was a heel when Rock and Austin were the faces carrying the company - doing movies, and the like. Undertaker was a face carrying the company, but he was a novelty character, not a spokesman. Flair had Rhodes and numerous others carrying the company with him when wrestling was a completely different type of business.

Today you need a face of the brand. John Cena ring a bell? Who is the face of TNA? Hogan. Is that good? Yes and no. Hogan is too old to be the fresh face of a new generation of wrestler. AJ Styles is that fresh face, and he fits the bill so much better as a baby face, but not just any baby face. THE face of TNA.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm not a fan of AJ having been turned into a Flair clone, as I've stated this in many threads. Styles CAN play a heel, but why not a heel version of himself? Plus, he doesn't have to be "AJ Flair" in order to get over. I'd prefer if he was still a face because now that TNA is going up against WWE they really NEED someone to call "the face of TNA" and Styles would have been perfect for that, he should have stayed in the role he was in before Flair got there. That way he would still be a face and would now be the face of TNA.

I like Suneeboy's idea of having a double turn at Lockdown with Pope going heel as Flair's new protege and Styles turning face again. He makes a good point about how the Pope's gimmick fits better with Flair's, I definitely agree on this idea. Too bad TNA probably won't do that. Styles is a better fit than anyone else in TNA to be the face of the federation, the sooner he can turn face, the better. TNA would be better off with Styles as a face so SOMEBODY, and the right person for the job, could be the face of the company!