AJ Styles Back in the X-Division: Pros & Cons

[JamJam]

The X-Division could really use some help. Other than Aries, the division seems to be non-existent at the moment. So what I'd like is for you to discuss if bringing back AJ to the X-Division would be a good thing or a bad thing.

I guess some pros would be that we'd get the matchup of AJ and Aries, and I'm sure everyone wants to see that.

The only con I can think of is that AJ has pretty much done it all in the X-Division and it might seem as a demotion if he's back in the X-Division.

I think that the pros outweigh the cons though because if AJ can bring back credibility to the X-Division and have it be it's once-great self, then the X-Division could actually be the semi-main event picture. It could even be the secondary title, just take away the TV Title but that would take away from the others that aren't in the title picture like Anderson, Hardy, etc.

So yeah, discuss please.

 

[Equimanthorn]

AJ's one of these guys who can always be made to look a decent contender for the World title, because he's built up so much of a rapport with TNA's audience. He's always in one of the top feuds, and as a result could definitely make the X Division look a lot more special with his presence. Aries is just about ready to make a Main Event name for himself, but he can't do it without someone else and AJ Styles is the perfect guy. A feud between the two, with Aries coming out on top would really make Austin the star he should be.

Styles doesn't need the belt though and certainly shouldn't win it. If anything, promoting Aries to the next level with a fued with Styles could really kill the X Division, because who the hell is there to carry the X Division if Aries is away mixing it up with the main eventers.

 

[dakikko049]

I wouldn't do anything to help the X-division just yet, as I feel a rivalry between Aries and Bobby Roode should happen first, and I think it would help if Aries was known as being head and shoulders better than the x division.

After that however, I think bringing back AJ could be a good thing. If you bring him back saying that he's been really impressed with Austin Aries but feels he can beat him to help rebuild the x division, then it won't really be seen as a demotion as he's choosing to move to Aries. Also the fact that Aries had just been feuding with Roode means that he'll look tough anyway.

 

[Rayne]

AJ's too big for the X-Division title. I don't mean physically, I mean promotionally. As you sad, the X-Division is in sad, sad shape right now; and it's not for lack of a star with charisma in it. Austin Aries is tearing shit up. But what do we gain by turning AJ into an X-Division wrestler? At best, a couple month feud with Aries. Don't get me wrong, that'd be pretty good, but that's all the net gain. You could have the AJ/Aries feud without involving the X-Division, either.

Who would AJ fight with after that? What other people are there in the X-Division that AJ could have a credible match with without being expected to dominate? He's too big, and the other X-Division stars too small, for them to seriously challenge him in a match and it to be accepted. Sure, maybe you could give Zema Ion a rub. But if AJ is in tightly competitive matches against guys who don't even belong on the same hour of Impact, he isn't going to raise their stock; he's going to lower his own.

A trip to the X-Division for AJ would be the equivalent of a trip to the showers.

 

[Iversen]

AJ and Double A would be a fantastic feud but I feel like they need to start giving AJ decent storylines at the top of the company. He must be one of the most underused wrestlers working for both top companies at the moment. He's proven in the past how good he can be and yet for ages now he has just been left to rot in the mid card with no real direction or storyline apart from feuding with Daniels/Kaz for the 1 thousandth time. I mean I love watching those guys wrestle each other but it's not doing any of them favours any more. Let AJ have a decent run at the title, not just a match an actual feud, and reclaim his place at the top.

You want someone to feud for the X Division title what about Zema? It's about time AA dropped the belt and moved up the card and if you let Zema take it, who is a rare breed of an actual heel in the X Division, all those guys they brought in, the Mark Haskins and so on of this world can feud with him and actually get some decent exposure and maybe, just maybe get over themselves. It's better than them all sitting around doing fuck all.

 

[Alex]

I always thought of AJ as similar to Chris Jericho, he can move up and down the card and fit in anywhere and he wouldn't seem out of place.

Cons: AJ hasn't been near the X-Division for years, he's been upper midcard/main event for a while now, going to the X-Division would annoy some fans and seem a bit strange, especially as he just came off fighting Bobby Roode for the World Title.

Pros: AJ is arguably the greatest X-Division champion TNA ever had, who better to fued with Austin Aries than the guy who pretty much made the X-Division a must see in the early days, it would put Aries over loads. Not to mention Aries has beat everyone in the X-Division so a veteran of it would seem like a real challenge. Aries and AJ could put on show stealing matches pretty much any time, heck their little alteration in the battle royale a few weeks ago looked awesome. Think what a full blown match would look like

 

[cult_of_icecream_bar]

Pros:Only one.X-divison will gain some momentum from it
Considnt he main event last iMPACT for the TNAWHC?Not to degrade aries,but this is a demotion for AJ.And the bad thing is,he's THE MAN in TNA.I hate bringing WWE into this but how awkward would it be if john cena now would contend for the US title?TNA was pretty much built around him.He's probably the only guy in TNA who has won every major belt.So,no i don't appriciate it.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

As a stop-gap to get the title off Aries (so he can move up in the card)? Perfectly acceptable. In a semi-permanent or full-time role? No — for a few reasons:

1. He's worked his way up the card and proven he's a main event player. Main eventers who are not aging and/or oft-injured do not belong NOT in the main event, even if it's not in the title picture.

2. It's obvious TNA looks at the X Division as a bit of a stepping stone (Daniels, Joe, AJ, Aries, etc. have all cut their teeth there before moving onto bigger and better things). As such, the direction they should be looking in here is the same as they were then. Find young, promising talent, give them heavy pushes in the division and let them work their way up the card.

They already have a handful of guys on the roster as it is that they could use to bolster the ranks of the division right now — Pope, Garrett Bischoff, Chris Sabin and Crimson. Add to that a few more up-and-comers like Joey Ryan and those like him and they'll be just fine.

 

[Lowdown]

While I can see why putting AJ back in the X division would help the division itself, it would seem like a demotion of sorts. Now bringing in Joey Ryan will be a huge benefit, but a little more talent would help. I would enjoy seeing a matchup between Aries and AJ, but not for the X division title. Truthfully, the both of them should be challenging for at the very least the TV title.

 

[IHW]

The only con I can think of is that AJ has pretty much done it all in the X-Division and it might seem as a demotion if he's back in the X-Division.

Or it could be a promotion for the X-Division. AJ would do nothing but help the division. It won't hurt him to go down the card for a few months. You could even give the X-Division more established guys like Kaz, Daniels, Sabin, and Joe back. None of these guys really have any thing to lose by wrestling for the X Title again.

I think AJ going back in the X-Division is a wonderful idea. He has been lost in the shufle everywhere else.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

i actullay think this could be a great idea after aj and angle lose to daniels and kaz at slammiversery have austin aries come out and brag about how hes the best x divison champion ever and stuff like that only for aj styles's music to hit and he walks out talking about how hes a former x divison champion who rose up to greater things leading to a fued between them....it would be a great fued and give us someone good to take the x divison title off a double.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, AJ Styles returning to the X Division does have a certain feel about it. Styles did cut his teeth in TNA while a frequent part of the X Division during its glory days. The X Division did ultimately put TNA on the map in the first place and Styles was one of the key components.

While I don't feel that AJ Styles is going to be part of the X Division again, at least there's the potential of giving him something interesting to do. To me, it almost seems like AJ Styles has been going down a similar road to Samoa Joe. What I mean by that is that Joe is someone that just seems to have floated around mostly aimlessly in TNA for the past couple of years. Everything TNA's done with Joe the past few years has come off as either completely half assed or just plain uninteresting, and I'm starting to get that feeling with Styles. To me, it just seems like Styles has been very much put on the backburner for a good while now. Even when he had his brief feud with Roode late last year and into early this year over the title, you got the sense that Styles wasn't going to be a real threat to Roode.

For instance, look at how long this thing with Daniels & Kazarian has needlessly dragged out. It's what's had Styles' attention for pretty much the entire year, except during the time when TNA seemed to just be quietly letting it slip away as we went a few months without seeing it. But, they popped back up and decided to start back up as if they hadn't missed a beat. The revelation of Styles potentially being Dixie's boy toy had promise but, as I aluded to earlier, it's been kind of half assed in my eyes. So at Slammiversary, it looks like Styles & Angle are going to form another random tag team that gets a possible run with the tag titles.

I can see the argument, in some ways, of Styles being too big, in terms of star power & accomplishments, for the X Division. At the same time, I'd rather see Styles be part of something that's at least a bit relevant. I don't see Styles as a full time main eventer. To me, he doesn't have the charisma or promo ability to cut it. I can see him floating into the main event picture sometimes, but not permanently. Styles returning to the X Division could FINALLY give Aries that big feud he's needed since becoming X Division Champion. Styles could also be the one to take the title off Aries so that Aries could move on, and TNA could then use the established Styles to make build the X Division back up a bit. At least they'd have someone worth watching to take Aries place, so it probably wouldn't be any worse off than it was before. To me, it's a better choice than Zema Ion, Kid Kash or any othe other few namless faces that Aries has spent much of the last year beating.

It would be something of a demotion I think but, at the same time, I think it'd be better than what they've been doing with him for most of the past year. Who knows, it might be a means of starting Styles off in a fresh path.

 

[GrandSword]

To veer off topic slightly just for a second, I think instead of AJ Styles returning to the X Division, I think we introduce the X Divisoin to Super-Sabin. Sabin is a four time X Division Champion and there was a time where he was unbeatable. He looked so good that people couldn't beleive that TNA had him job to Kevin Nash in their feud. He was looking that good. If Shelley has really left the company, I think the man to carry the Division should fall to Chris Sabin. He puts on great matches and his skills have been missed on tv.

Now as for AJ returning to the Division, I think the one off encounter between him and Aries at Destination X would be great. I think TNA have even teased it in the battle royale a few weeks ago, so I have a feeling the match is going to happen. But in terms of a full time return, I do think it is a demotion for AJ, however I would rather see him doing sometghing and having him on my tv, then being an after thought and floating around which he has been doing since he dropped the belt to RVD 2 years ago.

And as much as I love AJ Styles and beleive he should eb the John Cena of TNA, he has lost too many times recently for Austin Aries to be elevated by beating him. It woudl indeed be a good match, but since Styles dropped the belt to RVD he has done nothing but put over guys who haven't been elevated any further. Douglas Williams, Crimson, Tommy Dreamer, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Gunner, Bully Ray, Robert Roode, James Storm. He has lost just about every single feud/match he has been in latelty and I don't think he is the one to elevate Aries.

Aries win over Bully Ray seems to have been glossed over in the last 2 impacts which has not helped the man move to the next level. Maybe it is Aries who needs to eb the man who ends Crimson's streak? Who knows...

 

[Detroitsandman]

AJ is the face of TNA. He is the Shawn Michaels of TNA. I would love to see AJ V A Double but not in the X Division. AJ needs to stay in the main event scene. Dropping him down would be an insult to everything he's done. If they want to re invent the X Division let the young guys rule it. Austin Aries is doing a 5 star job as X Division champion. Let Zema Ion, Chris Sabin and others run the X Division. Since Alex Shelley is gone this is a great opportunity for Chris Sabin to break out in the X Division. But DO NOT have Styles go back to the X Division. That's like having Shawn Michaels be the Cruiserweight Champion.

 

[PEP3]

Returning AJ Styles to the X-Division isn't the boost the belt -- or the division -- needs at all. Not only would it do little to add pizzazz to the division, in the long-term, it will devalue any advancement TNA has made with AJ as a legitimate, viable contender for the World Heavyweight title.

What it seems most people are clamoring for here is an in-ring feud between Austin Aries and AJ Styles. That absolutely, unquestionably does not have to be done in the context of the X-Division. In fact, for the advancement of Aries' character, it should not be done in this division.

The solution, as I see it, would be to let Aries drop the belt to one of any number of other exciting young talents. TNA is full of a wide array of people clamoring for an opportunity in the X-Division. Were the belt put on one of those wrestlers, whose growth would not be based on the kind of dominance TNA is asserting with Aries, the possibilities for incredible X-Division matches and exciting feuds multiplies ten-fold. (As it stands, none of these people can pose a viable threat to Aries, because if they did, he wouldn't be perceived as also a major, rising contender for the WHC.)

Once the title is removed from Aries, THEN he should move full-time toward a feud with AJ Styles. This will provide the incredible matches people are aching to see, while further moving Aries, systematically, toward the World Heavyweight championship contention. Rather than "lowering" AJ to Aries' current level, it would elevate Aries to AJ's perceived level. In the long run, this is a far better plan than moving Styles backward into the X-Division.