AJ Styles is Re-Living Sting '97, and It's Great

[tvcolosi]

Is it one of the better long angles TNA has ever had? Yes, but their long angles before this either got "hot-shotted" or had HUGE plot holes so that isn't saying a whole helluva lot.

The problem I have with the OP is comparing this to 1996-1997 Sting, seriously?!? I think that is the best long term story in the last 25 years.

Sting didn't wrestle for 18 months and was the most over face in wrestling. I know someone is going to say Stone Cold, but he really hit his stride in late 1997 and that Hogan Sting match was in Dec 97 so they barely overlapped.

Sting didn't really talk for almost 2 years, he spoke like 6 words to JJ Dillion when he was stripped of the title then not again until after Slamboree 98.

Not to mention that Sting is 10 times the all around performer AJ is right now. Bell to Bell AJ is very technically good but he is a shell of himself. Stings work rate is not quite as good but he has really always been a brawler and his charisma made up for it His facials are crap and he doesn't stir up the crowd unless he hits a dangerous spot. Sting can stir 20,000+ to a frenzy simply with a look and a point with his bat. Neither are amazing talkers but I think most would agree Sting does better promos.

As much as it seems that he's Sting in 97...what he did reminded me more of DDP when Hall and Nash asked him to join, they celebrated and then Diamond Cutters for the both of them. They pulled the trigger way to early with AJ. His wrestling Kurt Angle hurts the angle, they should have kept him out until a month before BFG, where he could return to challenge Bully Ray. That was the thing that made the Sting angle great, and that was the slow build, the fact that Sting didn't wrestle for a year to build to that match. Now they lose the specialness that would have come from AJ facing Bully in his first match since Final Resolution.

I agree completely.. well done

So lets not get ahead of ourselves, its the best angle they have right now and one of the top 3-4 angles currently.

 

[GameOver]

Okay, I'm sick of this "This is just Sting vs nWo lite" crap! It has similarities but then again so did Cena vs the Nexus and, like that storyline, it has major differences.

Sting's metamorphoses was due to friends and fans not believing in him; AJ's because he was sick of being 'Mr TNA' and wants to concentrate of the'One' part of 'Phenomenal One'.
Sting did not compete from his transformation to 'Crow' until he met Hogan in the ring - AJ has already faced James Storm, is about to face Kurt Angle and will probably have to go through the rest of the Aces and Eights before he can get to Bully.
Sting never attacked WCW guys, AJ has attacked James Storm, Bad Influence and Kurt Angle - he certainly isn't representing TNA at this juncture.
The Aces & Eights are NOT the nWo, they are not looking to run TNA out of business. They are just looking to dominate, this puts them more in the vein of the Dangerous Alliance or Four Horsemen.
Sting gave several WCW guys a litmus test to see if they were against him or not... AJ doesn't care.

Everyone is very happy to say that AJ is going to rescue TNA from the Aces & Eights and Bully Ray but I hate to point it out to y'all but there is a major flaw in that argument at present - he cares as little about his ex TNA colleagues as he does about the bikers. Sting decided he was going to rescue WCW; at present AJ Styles has decided he is going to rescue HIMSELF and the brilliant finish to the last Impact only furthers that stance... or if you guys really want to compare AJ to someone, compare him to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin or Randy Orton who also found their niche being all about number (Phenomenal) 1!

Um have you been watching? AJ was also let down by his fans and collegues in storyline, everyone believing he was sleeping his way to the top and then screwing other people when he wasn't the winner, so it is very much the same and all of it came about because of the rise of Bully Ray and the A&8's and AJ's subsequent losing focus and losing his smile.

The latest bit is obviously a look back to Sting and his resentment of the nWo and everyone else that didn't believe in him when he never showed any sign of betrayal

Either way the last impact was the most invested in AJ as a character i've ever been, never b4 have i cared about what he was doing other then his in ring performances which are always good.

 

[IT Factor]

This storyline with AJ Styles is the best thing he's been involved with in years. I like how they've made him darker with an edge but still a face. I think he can pull it off. When something like this storyline makes you wonder what will happen next, it's good for the company. I just hope TNA can consistently book Styles like this and not screw up a good thing they got going.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Um have you been watching? AJ was also let down by his fans and collegues in storyline, everyone believing he was sleeping his way to the top and then screwing other people when he wasn't the winner, so it is very much the same and all of it came about because of the rise of Bully Ray and the A&8's and AJ's subsequent losing focus and losing his smile.

The latest bit is obviously a look back to Sting and his resentment of the nWo and everyone else that didn't believe in him when he never showed any sign of betrayal

Um, yes I have been watching - the whole Dixie/ Claire thing was instigated by Bad Influence and had sweet FA to do with Aces & Eights. Sting was set up by the nWo with their bogus version of him. Sting had been representing WCW all along; AJ - not so much. Basically Sting had plenty of motive and AJ has none which is why his storyline is actually more interesting because it can still logically go in different directions.

Either way the last impact was the most invested in AJ as a character i've ever been, never b4 have i cared about what he was doing other then his in ring performances which are always good.

Good stuff, at least we're agreeing here amigo.

 

[anvilx8]

It DOES have similarities to the sting '97 storyline.. however, I wouldn't call it a ripoff. I'm just glad styles didn't come back in a trench coat and with face paint on. I probably wouldn't watch tna again, if that was the case.

 

[SpecialFNK]

while AJ's now character is interesting, I don't really like it as much as I thought I would have, or really take it that seriously. he looks like some emo teen guy. the way he looked this past Thursday seemed more like an Eric Young comedy act than anything from Sting back in WCW. it was funny the comment Bully made about AJ never having a beer before. makes sense since he doesn't look old enough to drink with this emo look. want your first beer kid?
I think he could have had the same look as he had before with being clean shaven and short hair, but still come off as being dark wearing black. maybe a beard could be OK, but this sloppy hair to me just looks stupid on him. some of his appearances recently he has been in a black baseball cap. at least there it hid the hair and he looked decent.

 

[JJYanks121]

while AJ's now character is interesting, I don't really like it as much as I thought I would have, or really take it that seriously. he looks like some emo teen guy. the way he looked this past Thursday seemed more like an Eric Young comedy act than anything from Sting back in WCW. it was funny the comment Bully made about AJ never having a beer before. makes sense since he doesn't look old enough to drink with this emo look. want your first beer kid?
I think he could have had the same look as he had before with being clean shaven and short hair, but still come off as being dark wearing black. maybe a beard could be OK, but this sloppy hair to me just looks stupid on him. some of his appearances recently he has been in a black baseball cap. at least there it hid the hair and he looked decent.

The look is taken from Spiderman 3 and I'm convinced of that. When Tobey McGuire has the venom and literally the only thing that makes him "evil" looking is that his hair is a little messier, that's what AJ's got going. I said it the first time he appeared in this "new character" and I stand to it today.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

The look is taken from Spiderman 3 and I'm convinced of that. When Tobey McGuire has the venom and literally the only thing that makes him "evil" looking is that his hair is a little messier, that's what AJ's got going. I said it the first time he appeared in this "new character" and I stand to it today.

I think he also has kind of a fat, redneck 90's Tom Cruise vibe going on.

All kidding aside, I don't think they were "going" for any celebrity or character. They probably told him to grow his hair longer and not shave for a while in order to look all broken down like he doesn't give a shit anymore.

Still, if he lost a lot of weight and showcased his inability to act, sooner than later we'd get ...

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I've seen some of this so I can only go off what I've seen but I'm not a huge fan of it. Don't get me wrong, I think its fairly good and a big improvement over past TNA heel stable storylines its just not what I think everyone is making it out to be.

There are some pretty noticeable holes that are forgivable, Ace's and Eights isn't the nWo, Bully Ray isn't Hogan and AJ isn't Sting, every single one of these things can be overlooked and its impossible for TNA to find a bunch of heels that were as big as Hall, Nash and Hogan at this point, same with a face like Sting, it's not possible, it can't happen so its unfair to bitch about this storyline using those comparisons.

To be honest I never quite understood why AJ is so dark right now as compared to before. Yeah there was the Claire Lynch thing and a few other things but they were resolved before this happened, it's my first big issue with it. With Sting it made sense, his WCW brethren turned his back on him, called him a liar, a turncoat when Sting was completely innocent. Basically he turned his back on WCW because WCW turned their backs on Sting, completely understandable. AJ was slandered by Daniels and Kaz, how is that TNA turning their backs on AJ? It's almost like they skipped a major part of the story to make AJ the savior of TNA and it was never explained. It makes AJ come off more like a whiner than a guy who has been truly wronged like Sting was, that's probably my biggest issue. When you think of it there isn't a real good reason for AJ to act like a loner outside of "lets do the nWo/Sting storyline with Ace's and Eight's and AJ Styles". Its a gap in the storyline which makes it weaker in return.

If there is some logic that I didn't see correct me, I don't watch this every week.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

To be honest I never quite understood why AJ is so dark right now as compared to before. Yeah there was the Claire Lynch thing and a few other things but they were resolved before this happened, it's my first big issue with it. With Sting it made sense, his WCW brethren turned his back on him, called him a liar, a turncoat when Sting was completely innocent. Basically he turned his back on WCW because WCW turned their backs on Sting, completely understandable. AJ was slandered by Daniels and Kaz, how is that TNA turning their backs on AJ? It's almost like they skipped a major part of the story to make AJ the savior of TNA and it was never explained. It makes AJ come off more like a whiner than a guy who has been truly wronged like Sting was, that's probably my biggest issue. When you think of it there isn't a real good reason for AJ to act like a loner outside of "lets do the nWo/Sting storyline with Ace's and Eight's and AJ Styles". Its a gap in the storyline which makes it weaker in return.

If there is some logic that I didn't see correct me, I don't watch this every week.

No, you're not wrong... but that's why I like this - there is no reason to automatically assume that he'll take the Sting line.

Like I have mentioned earlier, the fact that he has basically got sick of being 'Mr TNA' and has gone out on his own means that he can go in several directions - he can still be the Sting saviour; he can be an Austin/ Orton loner (as evidenced by him attacking faces and heels) or last Thursday could have been a swerve and he could yet turn out to be a member of the Aces & Eights (Bully Ray attacked the bikers many times before the Lockdown reveal after all).

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I've seen some of this so I can only go off what I've seen but I'm not a huge fan of it. Don't get me wrong, I think its fairly good and a big improvement over past TNA heel stable storylines its just not what I think everyone is making it out to be.

There are some pretty noticeable holes that are forgivable, Ace's and Eights isn't the nWo, Bully Ray isn't Hogan and AJ isn't Sting, every single one of these things can be overlooked and its impossible for TNA to find a bunch of heels that were as big as Hall, Nash and Hogan at this point, same with a face like Sting, it's not possible, it can't happen so its unfair to bitch about this storyline using those comparisons.

To be honest I never quite understood why AJ is so dark right now as compared to before. Yeah there was the Claire Lynch thing and a few other things but they were resolved before this happened, it's my first big issue with it. With Sting it made sense, his WCW brethren turned his back on him, called him a liar, a turncoat when Sting was completely innocent. Basically he turned his back on WCW because WCW turned their backs on Sting, completely understandable. AJ was slandered by Daniels and Kaz, how is that TNA turning their backs on AJ? It's almost like they skipped a major part of the story to make AJ the savior of TNA and it was never explained. It makes AJ come off more like a whiner than a guy who has been truly wronged like Sting was, that's probably my biggest issue. When you think of it there isn't a real good reason for AJ to act like a loner outside of "lets do the nWo/Sting storyline with Ace's and Eight's and AJ Styles". Its a gap in the storyline which makes it weaker in return.

If there is some logic that I didn't see correct me, I don't watch this every week.

I think that in order to understand why AJ turned dark you need to follow TNA for a few years and be very aware of AJ Styles' level. If you look back at his career in the last 5 years, he was never as low as 2012. Regardless of what was going on, AJ was in stables, he was holding belts, even World Championships, he was having nice feuds and matches. Even when he wasn't anywhere near the Main Event, he was involved in nice stuff.

However, last year Styles really hit rock bottom and I fully blame TNA for it. I always knew AJ could do anything if he was given the chance, TNA just didn't give him the chance. Instead, ever since 2009, AJ's been World Champion with a less than stellar gimmick, he had a good position in Fortune however the storyline was half baked and thus it never did AJ any good, even though he tried, and since then he's been feuding with Daniels for FAR too long, ultiamtely losing, getting stuck in that stupid Claire Lynch story as well as getting beat by Storm.

So even though it doesn't seem like much, the AJ of 2011-2012 was pathetic compared to almost any other year.

Again, I fully blame TNA for this downfall. Styles was never injured, except for only one time I believe, he was always doing his best, never lost a step, didn't get out of shape or nothing. He was at the same high level he always was. Instead, TNA had him wrestle so rarely which made him SO boring. That's AJ's one redeeming quality. He's an amazing wrestler, that's why people love him.

So when you take that away and you shove him in bullshit storylines, he'll seem like he lost power.

A lot of fans, such as myself, are really into this storyline because it's also a shoot in a lot of ways. The IWC surely knows AJ Styles has been a loyal dog over the past few years, despite the shit TNA has done to him. I think we all felt that he'd eat a steaming pile of shit on TV if Dixie asked him to and not say a word for it. For me, personally, I always felt AJ needed to demand a few things in TNA, such as a reign or two and nice storylines. I really think he'd have some kind of pull and I always felt he should use his status and what he means to TNA to his own advantage. Instead he just did what they made him to, thus they toyed around with him.

Then, he cuts that promo where he says he's doing his own thing and he's no longer on TNA's side and he comes back as a new AJ. The fan in me would like to think AJ actually did what I always wanted him to do which is go up to whoever the fuck was writing for him and say "Listen, you need to fix this", and they did.

So in that sense, the whole story has a lot of real elements to it which makes it cool to me. We all know the deal, we all know TNA fucked him over so this is a logical transition. Hell, I think even TNA knows they fucked him over.

Thankfully TNA realized this and turned a bad thing into a good thing by doing this whole AJ's changed storyline, and whether people like it or not, it's working and it's going somewhere. AJ is interesting, he's involved in the main storyline in the company, the whole show has slowly focused on him with multiple segments and YouTube footage and we've got every reason to think he's headed for a World Title shot and eventual reign post BFG 13.

I just hope they don't fuck him over again because that's surely been the pattern so far. All they need to take care of is his story. Tankfully AJ is one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now and once the storyline progresses and we see him wrestle some more, I think that final AJ vs Bully match we all think we'll get, would be a fucking classic. They worked together already and the matches were really good, I can only imagine what they'll do at BFG in the conclusion of this storyline.

Stlyes delivers, I always thought he's very underrated when it came to all things non-rassling. I just think he needs opportunities to brush up his mic work and acting and all he needs is practice. Dude's made of talent, that's for sure. Can't wait to see what'll happen.

 

[tvcolosi]

D'Lo Brown-Former European and Intercontinental champion in WWE. He was a pretty popular midcarder back in '98-'99.

Mr. Anderson-Two time TNA champion. U.S. champion in WWE.

Dudley Boys-Do I even need to start?

The way Doc/Gallows and Knux/Knox were brought in together in the same stable I can see the "WWE Reject" stigma. I think if guys like Gunner or Crimson were in place of 1 or both they would have been better perceived. I think they would have fit the A&8's since they started around the time the Dudleys were rumored to have been leaving. Anderson was completely under utilized so I think he fits, D'Lo was a guy not used right when he was active. WWE guys don't fit what I thought the idea behind A&8's was going to be, guys who thought TNA blew it with them so they want to take it down. Now I am not sure the motive they have for killing TNA.

 

[New Hot Fed]

I like that AJ is darker and tougher and nastier. I just hope they are going to do something beyond being angry dude who goes after Aces & 8s. Give him his own gang. Cause he can't go after Aces & 8s and half the TNA good guys too.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

AJ's too big of a star to be in a faction and not be the leader. At least in TNA that is. The move was the right one in having him swerve Aces and Eights. I also agree that even though the story and execution's great, the fact that Aces and Eights are filled with WWE rejects means that there's no star power. Even though Bully Ray's grown as a character, he's still the goofy guy who stared into the dark abyss whenever he Bubba Bombed someone. I can't shake that stigma.

I don't where this is going, but I like that it's focusing on AJ and maybe this will lead to an event down the line where AJ goes after Bully Ray's TNA title.

 

[IT Factor]

It is ridiculous that people can only fault AJ's new dark gimmick because of his hairstyle. Really? That's the best you got? Because that has to be one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard of to dislike a performer. Most are totally missing the point of this entire storyline which is to reinvent Styles as a character and make him relevant again on television. I believe TNA have done a great job with AJ and his new darker edge and using him slowly and methodically building towards him remaining loyal to TNA.

One could draw parallels to Sting in WCW with his crow change. And while that comparison would be fair, it also is a bit unfair. There are very few concepts in today's wrestling and entertainment that are not ripping off of something from the past in some shape or form. The fact that we are even discussing this topic means TNA must be doing something right or else we wouldn't even bring it up.

 

[SpecialFNK]

when you're putting on a TV show, image is important. for a minute forget looking at it from a regular wrestling fan, and look at it from the perspective of a casual viewer. AJ's messy hair IMO lessens the overall package.
I understand why they did it. it seemed like a good idea. I don't know if AJ had ever had a beard or longer hair before recently, so there was no real way to know how he would look. it's not terrible, I'm just getting picky and saying I don't think it's that good.

the comparison is there to nWo, but I think that could be unfair. nWo was so huge it's likely that nothing will ever come close to that level, so if the comparison is to nWo then Aces and Eights was doomed to fail no matter who was in the group.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't get why anyone would whine about this being a similar story to Sting vs the nWo in WCW. Yes, it's similar but so what? That happened over 15 years ago, most of the fans watching the show weren't even old enough to watch wrestling then! Just as Evolution was based on the 4 Horsemen, or any number of rivalries in modern wrestling being similar to ones from the past...good ideas get re-used, this happens in all walks of life.

Anyway, back to TNA.... AJ is doing a great job with this. He has freshened up his look, with the different hair, beard and leather jacket. He looks cool, "darker" and I think thats important. It highlights that this is a different AJ Styles from the man we have known for a decade, similar to Sting becoming the Crow character, but less extreme of a change.

He has been the face of the company for a long time now, but definitely had become stale as a CHARACTER in the last couple of years. While his in-ring work was as good as ever, Styles seemed boring and unispired as a persona so this change is definitely a good thing for him, making him relevant and exciting again and giving the fans something different.

I wasn't actually expecting to join Aces & Eight's, I believe that he WILL end up being the saviour of TNA again and more than likely take the World Title from Bully Ray at Bound For Glory, but the way it was done did make me question my opinion. I did not expect Styles to actually hit Kurt Angle with the hammer, I thought he would blast Bully Ray with it, and so I actually thought maybe he HAD joined the Aces when that happened, which was great storytelling. I am rarely surprised by something in wrestling, I can usually sort of guess what's coming next and expect to see swerves, so this was brilliantly done by TNA.

I look forward to see where TNA end up going with this.

 

[IT Factor]

when you're putting on a TV show, image is important. for a minute forget looking at it from a regular wrestling fan, and look at it from the perspective of a casual viewer. AJ's messy hair IMO lessens the overall package.
I understand why they did it. it seemed like a good idea. I don't know if AJ had ever had a beard or longer hair before recently, so there was no real way to know how he would look. it's not terrible, I'm just getting picky and saying I don't think it's that good.

First off, the messy hair and beard are supposed to represent AJ Styles not giving a damn about his image anymore. He said before he left that he was going to do things "his way". Plus, I believe TNA even referenced AJ Styles rumors about drinking and kind of eluding to drugs[maybe it was just booze]. As far as having beards are concerned, look at WWE's roster. There are some guys like the Wyatt family, Curtis Axel, and others who look like Duck Dynasty rejects. As long as the performer is great enough as a character on television, looks aren't that big of a deal. At least AJ's beard looks trimmed and neat compared to others on WWE or TNA television. To answer your question, yes AJ has had longer hair and a beard at different points in his TNA career. He had long bowl cut looking hair in the beginning of TNA and when he was teaming with Christian Cage he had a stubble beard going on.

the comparison is there to nWo, but I think that could be unfair. nWo was so huge it's likely that nothing will ever come close to that level, so if the comparison is to nWo then Aces and Eights was doomed to fail no matter who was in the group.

People like comparing new groups to past groups no matter what they do. I honestly don't see any similarity to nWo and Aces and Eights aside from the interfering factor. They tend to interfere in all matches involving A8 members and that does get a little old but it makes sense in the big picture. I can kind of see the comparison with Sting/crow and AJ/darker AJ. However, I think Styles can do subtle things to set himself apart and I don't see anything wrong with his character change. It actually works and I can't believe anyone actually complains when TNA attempts something different.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

It really isn't though, is it?

Re-doing storylines is fine. Re-doing MAJOR storylines that everyone remembers and lived week by week to, yea, not so much. Its tough for me to think of ways for TNA to be much MORE boring than it is every week.

 

[Jstrike]

This is a strange gimmick for aj styles,
i prefer the colorful aj styles,
all tna's guys dress in black ace's and 8's, bobby roode, austin aries,
and now aj styles. i mean oh my gosh! it's not black and white how bout a few colors, its depressing watching a bunch of guy's dresses gothicly.
why i think aj styles had a great gimmick was that he conetced greatly with it,
and the new gimmick to me is boring

 

[SpecialFNK]

IMO the right person won. but the roll up pin was stupid.
AJ can't challenge for the title until BFG. 4 months! that's too long to keep this me me me thing going.
if TNA wants to panic because of ratings, this gives them a much better option with Kurt Angle being able to beat Bully, rather than AJ who can't challenge until October.
TNA can still continue this on with AJ, and maybe challenge Angle at BFG if Angle is to beat Bully.

 

[multiverseman.com]

IMO the right person won. but the roll up pin was stupid.
AJ can't challenge for the title until BFG. 4 months! that's too long to keep this me me me thing going.
if TNA wants to panic because of ratings, this gives them a much better option with Kurt Angle being able to beat Bully, rather than AJ who can't challenge until October.
TNA can still continue this on with AJ, and maybe challenge Angle at BFG if Angle is to beat Bully.

4 months is too long? Sting didn't wrestle for over a year before he faced Hogan. The point is to rehabilitate AJ with wins for those 4 months. After facing the lowest point in his life, he comes back as a dark warrior on a mission. Everyone falls to Aces & Eights and only one man can save TNA, presumably Styles. The unstoppable AJ on a 6 month win streak vs. the group that can't be stopped. Simple.

Why would Kurt Angle be the guy to beat Bully? Who wants to see that?

 

[SpecialFNK]

4 months is too long? Sting didn't wrestle for over a year before he faced Hogan. The point is to rehabilitate AJ with wins for those 4 months. After facing the lowest point in his life, he comes back as a dark warrior on a mission. Everyone falls to Aces & Eights and only one man can save TNA, presumably Styles. The unstoppable AJ on a 6 month win streak vs. the group that can't be stopped. Simple.

Why would Kurt Angle be the guy to beat Bully? Who wants to see that?

who would want to see AJ Styles beat Bully? AJ hasn't been relevant in the main event for TNA in years. I think in the last 2 years he has had 1 heavyweight title match, and that was I think against Roode.
since AJ last had the title (2010 I think), he has spent most of the time since then in the mid card.
Angle is the 2013 HOF inductee.
AJ can be a big fish in a little bow. Angle is a big fish no matter where he is.

waiting 4 months for a payoff might be too long as ratings continue to fall. people continue to get tired/bored of Aces and Eights, and ratings drop further and further. AJ can't do much until October. by then it could be too late.

 

[multiverseman.com]

who would want to see AJ Styles beat Bully?

me

AJ hasn't been relevant in the main event for TNA in years. I think in the last 2 years he has had 1 heavyweight title match, and that was I think against Roode.
since AJ last had the title (2010 I think), he has spent most of the time since then in the mid card.

That's the point, to build him up to a title match. Or not, as the case seems to be.

Angle is the 2013 HOF inductee.
AJ can be a big fish in a little bow. Angle is a big fish no matter where he is.

Pushing old guys because they used to be big fish is why TNA's in the situation they're in. Angle isn't gonna draw new fans to TNA. Just not gonna happen. Try something new. AJ's new gimmick might have done it but

waiting 4 months for a payoff might be too long as ratings continue to fall. people continue to get tired/bored of Aces and Eights, and ratings drop further and further. AJ can't do much until October. by then it could be too late.

So switching the title to Angle is the solution? Kurt's best days are behind him. He's not gonna pop a rating. You throw your plan in the trash with no better solution than Kurt Angle? way to overreact in the wrong way

 

[SpecialFNK]

and AJ is going to draw fans? if TNA felt that way AJ would have been more than a mid carder the last 3 years. the only time he had that heavyweight title match with Bobby Roode was because James Storm at the time had a legit concussion and couldn't' wrestle.
outside of TNA, AJ Styles isn't very popular. at least Kurt Angle is a well established name, who can still bring it in the ring I might add.

if Bully as heel is the champion, then likely a face will have to beat him. if not Angle, the next best option is Jeff Hardy. but I think Angle winning does more since Hardy was the one to lose to Bully.
I would rather see James Storm being built as a top face. he has a good finishing move, the super kick. (like Shawn Michaels). he has a good saying, sorry about your damn luck. but now that he is tag team champion, that's not likely, plus he hasn't been pushed much lately.
who else is there? Samoa Joe? Magnus? Morgan?
Roode and Aries should be back in singles, and I have to imagine will both be in the BFG series.

even if it was the same old same old, I preferred the clean cut good ol boy AJ Styles to this emo wanna be who looks like a bum.