AJ Styles: "Better Than The Best In The World"

[Terry Gyimah]

AJ says he is better than the best in the world obviously taking a shot at CM Punk there and I have to admit AJ is hands down a really great in-ring performer yes he is great but not better than Punk, yes sure AJ isn't as recognized as a talented wrestler because he is in TNA but if AJ were in WWE I have no doubt that he would be able to be one of the greatest of all time but yes he is probably one of the greatest if not the greatest in TNA's history in terms of stealing the show and putting on 5 star matches

 

[Tastycles]

The difference between Punk and AJ is that Punk was still a heel when he made his speech. That meant he could shout the crowd down if they disagreed with him. Allen Jones didn't have that benefit. The shoot names is ******ed. I'm into wrestling, I even post about it online, I don't know what several main eventers' names are. I doubt the casual fan does either. You could almost hear the audience saying 'who the fuck is Allen Jones?' The material was categorically not great.

Why TNA would choose to draw attention to it's faults is beyond me. Punk attacked Cena, someone who evidently isn't a failure. Styles attacked failures. That makes TNA look stupid. Had Punk gone into the ring and said "Del Rio gets chance after chance and you don't care" it would be analogous, but the WWE didn't have Punk do that, because they're not stupid. Punk said absolutely nothing that the majority of people who watch WWE don't already know, they just made it seem like he did and his anger carried it forward. TNA had Styles criticise actual failings of the company, WWE had Punk criticise the talent and wisdom of John Cena and Vince McMahon, two of wrestlings most successful men - they can afford to take the credibility hit, TNA's patchy record with WWE cast offs, not so much. I'm not one to disparage TNA, but whoever wrote that for Styles to say - whether it was himself or not is a moron.

The delivery though, was abysmal. It's dull. The crowd may shout Yes! and What? for no reason, they do not shout 'boring' for no reason. He delivered it with any passion removed. It was like someone reading a shopping list. I don't think he's that bad at promos usually, but if this was his moment in the spotlight it failed. He's an excellent in ring talent, but he's not really advertising himself very well if he is to leave.

 

[GameOver]

Gonna say what has already been said no doubt, AJ is one of the best in the world "IN THE RING", he's phenomenal in that respect and deserves that title, but he is a shit talker, and always looks and acts like a kid. Punk can talk, but neither of them atm can hold a candle to Daniel Bryan who went from the charisma of a dead fish to superstardom and a gimmick that everyone can embrace.

 

[MisterRob]

AJ Styles proved me wrong.

I use to be very high on AJ Styles. Back in the day I really believed he was "phenomenal", the face of TNA, and the star that should be its future. But I've finally realized that despite how good he may be in the ring, that just isn't enough. To be a true star, and certainly to be "better then the best in the world".. you need to actually have more then the ability to put on good wrestling matches. You need to have personality. You need to connect with the audience on a level that only STARS can. You sure as hell need to be able to carry yourself on the mic.

Every single time AJ Styles has been given the chance to step up his game and show what kind of a talent he is, not just in the ring but as a true top star of the company, he falls flat on his face because he becomes completely exposed. Every flaw about him is glaringly there, and it was extremely so in this promo.

AJ Styles reached his glass ceiling a very long time in TNA, and ever since he's been unable to evolve and go beyond that stagnant spot. Because he just doesn't have the talent deep down. That's why he's done nothing of value for three years now in TNA. That's why he didn't have the backing of Hulk Hogan, and sadly, based on this promo, Hulk was right. He's a great in ring wrestler, but that's really all he has. When you're given a break out moment, the crowd's chanting your name and are waiting to raise you up to heights you haven't been.. and then you proceed to flounder, turn the audience against you, and expose every weakness you have, then you don't deserve to be given the ball again.

They should've given the ball to someone else. Austin Aries would've owned that spot, and owned that crowd. And the difference is entirely in the differences between those two talents.

 

[jmt225]

The best kind of hero is the strong, silent type (unless Robert Downey Jr. is playing the character, lol). Always has been, always will be.

This is all on TNA. With the Bound for Glory series fiasco recently, they've proven they can't write or book for shit, and this here is just another example. Why give a guy like AJ, who's never been a strong promo guy, fucking what had to be 10 pages of script to memorize to cut out there? And even if it wasn't written, you still don't give a guy like him the mic and say go out there and talk for almost ten minutes.

AJ has been horribly booked since this rehashed Sting "I stand alone" storyline started. They ruined the best wrestler they've ever had. He's been misused for years, but at least there was still that appeal about him, whether as a face or heel. And it wasn't just the "flashy" moves; the guy's always had an aura about him that made him so appealing. That aura is completely gone now though and has been for a while.

I usually try and stay optimistic about TNA and give them the benefit of the doubt, but they're at a lowpoint right now and it simply can't be denied. And now they have AJ Styles taking the brunt of it. Pathetic, just pathetic.

 

[ABMorales787]

I honestly don't see what was so horrible about it. It was a promo and it explained why AJ Styles has done what he's done over the last year. What was so bad about it?

Oh, he buried TNA? Was anything that he said inaccurate? CM Punk did the same. Play the excuse that he was a heel at the time if you want, but it was damn obvious that the intention was to turn him face with it.

Oh, his delivery was terrible? A stutter and a southern drawl. Yup, that sounds like the AJ Styles I know.

Oh, TNA did the awful mistake of letting him cut a shoot. Please. TNA could bury AJ cement and he'll still pop out as the golden boy he claimed to be. The promo was to explain why he turned face after being this bitter lone wolf and to have him boast about TNA always needing him. I see it wasn't this perfect shoot they were aiming for. But atrocious? Gimme a break. Stop exaggerating, people.

 

[Weems2k]

The difference between Punk and AJ is that Punk was still a heel when he made his speech. That meant he could shout the crowd down if they disagreed with him. Allen Jones didn't have that benefit. The shoot names is ******ed. I'm into wrestling, I even post about it online, I don't know what several main eventers' names are. I doubt the casual fan does either. You could almost hear the audience saying 'who the fuck is Allen Jones?' The material was categorically not great.

Why TNA would choose to draw attention to it's faults is beyond me. Punk attacked Cena, someone who evidently isn't a failure. Styles attacked failures. That makes TNA look stupid. Had Punk gone into the ring and said "Del Rio gets chance after chance and you don't care" it would be analogous, but the WWE didn't have Punk do that, because they're not stupid. Punk said absolutely nothing that the majority of people who watch WWE don't already know, they just made it seem like he did and his anger carried it forward. TNA had Styles criticise actual failings of the company, WWE had Punk criticise the talent and wisdom of John Cena and Vince McMahon, two of wrestlings most successful men - they can afford to take the credibility hit, TNA's patchy record with WWE cast offs, not so much. I'm not one to disparage TNA, but whoever wrote that for Styles to say - whether it was himself or not is a moron.

The delivery though, was abysmal. It's dull. The crowd may shout Yes! and What? for no reason, they do not shout 'boring' for no reason. He delivered it with any passion removed. It was like someone reading a shopping list. I don't think he's that bad at promos usually, but if this was his moment in the spotlight it failed. He's an excellent in ring talent, but he's not really advertising himself very well if he is to leave.

Anyone with half a brain, and not dumbed down by stupid "yes" catchphrases should be able to put 2 & 2 together, and figure out that AJ is short for Allen Jones. I picked up on that right away.

 

[Tastycles]

I honestly don't see what was so horrible about it. It was a promo and it explained why AJ Styles has done what he's done over the last year. What was so bad about it?

Oh, he buried TNA? Was anything that he said inaccurate? CM Punk did the same. Play the excuse that he was a heel at the time if you want, but it was damn obvious that the intention was to turn him face with it.

1) Punk was obviously supposed to turn face, but the fact that he was a heel meant the audience could be shouted at if they weren't reacting the right way. It was a help to Punk, something that AJ missed out on. That's not really AJ or TNA's fault, it just made it harder.

2) CM Punk said that John Cena gets all the breaks and Vince McMahon has his favourites. That is true, but the fact of the matter is, these are really strengths of the WWE masquerading as weaknesses. Oh the biggest star gets pushed. Oh the only man to make hundreds of millions out of wrestling in history has a methodology - these things are both obvious and true and not really weaknesses in the mind of anyone but the sort of people Punk was trying to get through to.

Styles on the other hand was clearly alluding to the fact that WWE has beens came in and didn't succeed in getting over. This is also true, but it is an actual weakness that is highlighted to the audience - "a lot of people you don't care about are featured prominently."

What Punk said was essentially 'I hate the way you run things for your benefit and not mine or my fans'; what Styles said was 'Everything you do turns to shit and I have to sort it out for you'. One presents 'the man' as a powerful adversary, the other presents the man as a lame duck. When you are going for a one man vs. corporate entity angle, you need the latter mentality installed in the fans.

3) His voice and stutter aren't what's important. It was his vocal delivery and body language. The way he spoke lacked any intensity. The way he was pacing around showed that he was affected by what he was saying as if he was afraid of the repercussions. What made the Punk promo better than it was, was Punk's delivery. By sitting down, he showed that he wasn't going to be moved by anyone or by the speech he was saying. AJ was pacing about like someone waiting for the firing squad.

4) AJ attacked the wrong people. Dixie Carter is much more bland and uninteresting than Vince McMahon, that's not AJ's fault, but in light of that he should have gone for Hogan or Bischoff. People have an opinion about them so bringing them up gets them interested. Attacking Mike Tenay should be the least of his concerns.

5) And I think for me, this is the worst thing it did compared to Punk. Punk came out and didn't really say anything that was surprising, but everything he said was true. People were engaged with it because they knew that it was coming from his heart, whether or not he was really saying anything revelatory.

Meanwhile, AJ started by talking about wrestling angles - the thing with Dixie and Christopher Daniels turning his back on him. If you want the audience to buy into a shoot and feel like they're hearing about something really juicy on the inside of the company, you have to present it like that. Talking about some ludicrous affair with Dixie storyline before launching into the 'now this bit is actually real' is plainly not going to get the crowd invested in the reality section of the promo.

 

[The Big C]

Yes, AJ had a few hiccups in his delivery. Overall though, it wasn't that bad. Everyone in the free world knows that Cleveland is an armpit, the fans there just suck. I have always respected Styles for his body of work, and this did not detract from that. Comparing AJ to Punk and the Rock in regard to promos isn't fair to anyone involved. Some have the gift of gab and some just don't.

This didn't hurt AJ, TNA, or the progression they are making towards him winning the belt. If anything, it gave those of us that have watched AJ for years, a little more incentive to tune in every Thursday.

 

[shalliin]

AJ says he is better than the best in the world obviously taking a shot at CM Punk there and I have to admit AJ is hands down a really great in-ring performer yes he is great but not better than Punk, yes sure AJ isn't as recognized as a talented wrestler because he is in TNA but if AJ were in WWE I have no doubt that he would be able to be one of the greatest of all time but yes he is probably one of the greatest if not the greatest in TNA's history in terms of stealing the show and putting on 5 star matches

learn how to finish a sentence and make yourself understood. This mess is ridiculous to sift through and at times seems to contradict itself. You say he's great, but not one of hte greats. He isn't recognized as one of the best because he's in tna but if he was in wwe he'd be one of the best all time? Anyone who follows wrestling, especially those who remember the days in ROH can admit that Styles is a great performer regardless of working for TNA. Working for TNA has no impact on how talented he is, thought the limited audience they have does reflect it.
However AJ is a huge fish in a tiny pond. In WWE, he'd potentially be among the top guys, but he would not be up to Cena/Punk/Bryan levels of popularity. He might be able to match Bryan and Daniels in the ring, but he's not enough of the showman to get to their levels. And the promo shows that clearly. He stumbles over his words and it just sounds disjointed on the ears. He has cut decent promos in the past but has never had a great one, and this was obviously the one TNA hoped would elevate him to the next level, only it ... failed is a harsh word but it has to apply.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Meanwhile, AJ started by talking about wrestling angles - the thing with Dixie and Christopher Daniels turning his back on him. If you want the audience to buy into a shoot and feel like they're hearing about something really juicy on the inside of the company, you have to present it like that.

Sorry but I'm not sure what you mean here. The promo was obviously not a shoot. So why would they need to present it as one? The referencing of the Claire Lynch angle was to give AJ's character justification for doing what he did.

 

[Kitten Cutter]

Here's the thing: this promo was a mix of Allen Jones trying to be honest and A.J. Styles explaining what he's all about.

Sad part is that this promo would have made more if he did NOT help the Main Event Mafia first.

We see A.J. transform back into his whole self into the match, smiling and being flashy, then the next week he shows and is back to being moody? Lone Wolf A.J. was still brooding and dark, and I knew it'd be hard for him to just change back. Why help the Main Event Mafia, especially when on-screen he and Samoa Joe have tension (their time-limit draw) and Magnus is the points leader (allowing him to lose and boot him out of TNA would have put A.J. into the top 4)? Especially since Aces n' Eights had nothing to do with his career issues? (actually he caused THEM problems when they offered him a spot and he turned them down)

If anything, he should have made the promo THEN come out to help the Main Event Mafia next week. That way, he'd be proving he liked being the savior (by helping get rid of the group that has been threatening TNA for a year+) and stick it to Bully Ray by pinning his partner Devon, setting up their angle more for Bound for Glory.

Now, if TNA is going the direction this is leading (and I hope not because it would be pretty blatent) Styles will be a part of the final four and win the Bound for Glory series, then go into his championship match vs. Bully Ray, with the contract situation hanging over TNA's head. He'd be the savior to finally put a stop to Aces n' Eights, with the Mafia aiding him in the background, and once he wins the belt, he would revert to being a tweener who Hogan and Dixie need to get the belt off of because he can threaten to take the belt out of TNA (or he can be really blatant and say the COMPANY UP NORTH) which would lead to maybe a building up of Magnus (the new face and savior of the company) or Samoa Joe (another staunch supporter to save the belt) or whomever.

As for the promo itself, everyone has pretty much said it: he's not great at it. Mind you, cutting a promo doesn't need to be CM Punk or Dean Ambrose level. Getting to the point and being direct works the best. Many wrestlers have been successful without being gold on the mic. I do hope TNA finds a way to help him out more, because if he's gonna be in the main event match of their marquee PPV, he'll be eviscerated going up against Bully Ray on the mic.

 

[IT Factor]

That promo by AJ Styles was perhaps his best work since he has been in TNA. It did everything a promo is supposed to do; it got his storyline over, explained why he helped the MEM, and it provided great backstory for his entire last year and subsequent dark change. Styles seemed a lot more comfortable than usual on the mic and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially his dig @ Punk and being "better than the best in the world" because Punk has taken shots at Styles on WWE TV too. So that kind of gives it that personal feel. Plus, if things do not work out with Styles resigning with TNA it would make for a great entrance feud if he signs with WWE.

To be honest, Styles is one of the more consistent workers on Impact Wrestling and maybe that promo made Dixie, Hogan, and Bischoff all realize who should be the next TNA Champion. I especially liked how he referenced TNA bringing in the next big star and then watching them fail and not liking the "new direction" the company went into that didn't work out. I could find no fault with his promo other than one or two minor slips in speech, but even mic masters like The Rock or Jericho have done that before. I am interested to see if TNA capitalizes on Styles or screws up a good thing like they normally do.