Aj Styles - It Just Feels Right

[andymcg]

So for the last couple of months as ive been watching TNA Impact!, i get the same feeling about AJ Styles time and time again. Everytime i see this guy it makes me think "Why the hell isnt AJ World Champ ?"

So as i was watching Slamaversery and seen AJ with the world title around his neck i thought "Now is the time, go for it" however as we seen Kurt won the title. I think TNA missed out big on this as to me it felt the right time for AJ to win.

Now for this topic i would like to pose a couple of questions, do you agree AJ should have won at Slamaversery ? Did anyone else think it just felt "right" ? and last how would you book AJ to now go onto the World Title if you agreed.

I would have Joe turn on MEM with Taz and win the Title from Kurt in the next couple of PPVs, from there have AJ and Joe fued and have AJ get his revenege in some type of wild stipulation match, somthing brutal which has AJ come out as champ at BFG.

 

[a0161613]

This is what I am hoping for.

I think Taz helping Joe will lead to tension in the MEM; Kurt won't like it. (Taz and Joe in the MEM doesn't strike me as quite right.)

Of course Sting and AJ seem to be legit threats also. The MEM will struggle to help Kurt on all fronts. I expect to see a combination of big matches between AJ and Kurt (for the belt) and Joe and Sting (as grudge matches).

I hope this will lead to an awesome fatal four way main event at Bound for Glory. I also hope this will lead to AJ's definitive TNA title reign and his first of many in the newest era of TNA.

 

[LokiCobain]

do you agree AJ should have won at Slamaversery ? Did anyone else think it just felt "right" ? and last how would you book AJ to now go onto the World Title if you agreed.

I would have Joe turn on MEM with Taz and win the Title from Kurt in the next couple of PPVs, from there have AJ and Joe fued and have AJ get his revenege in some type of wild stipulation match, somthing brutal which has AJ come out as champ at BFG.

To the first two questions, no. TNA is still trying to attract fans so it can grow, and AJ as champion wouldn't do that because nobody outside of TNA knows who he is (or at least not nearly enough to have a big effect on viewership). TNA is making Slammiversary one of their big 4 PPVs, so they're going to have big name draws in the Main Event, while showcasing their younger talent (AJ/Joe), however, to increase viewership, they have the big name draws win. If someone who never watched TNA sees some kid from Georgia beat the legendary Mick Foley and Kurt Angle, they'll just laugh and probably never watch again.

Another thing is the title is just a prop. There's no true competition for it, and whoever is champion (even in WWE), is who can attract the most fans at a given time (John Cena, Edge, Orton, HHH, Jeff Hardy...all lead in merchandise sales). Before TNA got national viewership, Styles was a 3-time champion. Once it got big, and TNA had the opportunity to grow, guys like Sting and Angle were brought in to add prestige to the company and title. Down the line, when AJ or Joe win the title again, it'll mean more because guys like Sting, Foley, and Angle all had it, rather than just Jerry Lynn and Jeff Jarrett (him owning the company doesn't help legitimize the title).

Bound for Glory, their equivalent to WM, is in October, so the storylines for that seem to already be in the work. But, just like in WWE, the Main Event is going to be with guys that can sell to the fanbase outside of what TNA already has. More people are going to pay for Angle (c) vs Sting vs Jarrett vs Foley than they are for Angle (c) vs Joe vs AJ vs Daniels. AJ is also the Legends champion, which although no one seems to care about here, the company probably (hopefully) for that. With Booker/Steiner seemingly forming this tag team, AJ is going to need to feud with someone, and the only "legend" left is Sting (Angle/Jarrett/Foley are all mixed together, and Nash vs AJ wouldn't be very good matches). A win for AJ Styles against Sting at BFG would be good for his career, but having Sting beat him in a tough match (like Matt Morgan) would also be good for his career, as he can then reclaim the Legends title from Sting later on. Or have a showcase of two future stars with AJ vs Matt Morgan. It doesn't have the draw appeal, but it would be a great clash of styles that we'll probably see a lot of down the road.

In all honesty, I see Joe becoming world champ before AJ does, and if either of them have a storyline where they could be in the title picture by BFG, it's Joe eventually turning on the MEM. Right now AJ doesn't have anything, and hopefully that changes, but Joe has so much going on that he seems to be the immediate focus in regards to which future stars comes first.

BFG 2005 - Jarrett vs Kevin Nash
BFG 2006 - Jarrett vs Sting w/ Angle as Enforcer
BFG 2007 - Kurt Angle vs Sting
BFG 2008 - Samoa Joe vs Sting (with Sting taking the title from Joe)

So one, it seems like it'll be a 1 on 1 match, if history shows anything. The 2008 PPV also had Angle vs Jarrett w/ Foley, Booker vs Christian vs AJ, a fatal 4-way monster ball tag team title match, and the Steel Asylum. There was still big name appeal all over the card plus gimmicks. If it had to be 1 on 1, I would go with Angle vs Joe in something like a no dq submission, with Joe losing by unconsciousness, rather than tapping out (then winning at Genesis), like Stone Cold's loss to Bret. This can leave possible Jarrett vs Foley, and Sting vs AJ

EDIT: I would love to see the Fatal 4-Way, which would no doubt help AJ and Joe, but based on the first four BFGs, they seem to be trying for a 1 on 1 match. And even in the 4-Way, I still see either Angle or Sting walking away. Sting is toward the end of his career, and if he wins, only to be hunted down by Joe, Joe ending Sting's career would be a huge push for heel Joe.

 

[jonfostersucks]

[QUOTE/]Down the line, when AJ or Joe win the title again, it'll mean more because guys like Sting, Foley, and Angle all had it, rather than just Jerry Lynn and Jeff Jarrett (him owning the company doesn't help legitimize the title).[/QUOTE]

Jerry Lynn never held the title.

As for the questions... I agree with the above posting, that right it wouldn't seem right to have AJ as champ right now. I also agree that Joe will win it first. I believe in time, with a little build up Joe and AJ could hold the title. More interest from fans of early TNA could be grabbed with the younger guys finally having a chance.
I think it would be interesting to have Joe and Taz cause problems in the Mafia, while Angle defends his title against Foley(Victory Road) and maybe Jarrett or Sting(Hard Justice) and retains each time. Then throw Joe in there, once it is revealed that he wanted to take the Mafia out from the inside. Joe and Angle have a classic match at No Surrender w/ Joe as the victor. Have AJ kinda weary about Joe throughout the hole period of time, but he seems happy when he realizes that Joe just joined the Mafia to infiltrate from within.
Joe, seemingly sorry for what he did, starts to apologize to AJ and extends his hand for peace. AJ, still a bit weary of Joe's intentions, reluctantly offers his hand. Just as the hands meet, Joe pulls AJ forward and clotheslines him and a beat down ensues, which TAZ joins.
Joe, now full blown heel, and AJ fued and have a match at Bound For Glory. Either can go over, although, it'd be nice to see AJ win. There are so many options here. Following Bound For Glory, you could face Joe vs. AJ again, Joe vs. Daniels(getting him involved, using the friend card), AJ vs. Joe vs. Daniels(rematch of one of TNA's best matches ever) all for the title.

 

[image1986]

I tend to disargee with the above post about a.j not ready to be world champion. First off the arguement about him being unknown to people outside tna is pretty silly, that excuse worked when tna was first created but by now the majority of the wrestling world knows about aj styles, he wasn't some unknown jobber he was in ROH and even vince knew of his potential that's why early in aj's tna career vince offer him a contact yet he turned it down. Aj is the most over face on the roster and has not been showcased as he should have and be more involved in the main event. Tna can't build the stars of tommorow by playing hot potato with the tna title. tna is doing what lead to wcw destruction by having the same guys get the main event push while the younger guys either job or don't even get a chance. Aj with the legend title is pointless because the belt isn't credible so why would anyone care if he defends it. Now with the tna championship not only will u have a fresh champion that is over but also have fresh fueds that tna has been lacking for months. I think aj winning at slammavery would have been unpredictable and a hignly popular choice doing more for the product instead of joe joining the mafia and kurt receiving the belt which right now doesn't even make sense at all storyline wise. Btw yea I hope joe gets the title before aj we saw how great his last title run was lol.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

To the first two questions, no. TNA is still trying to attract fans so it can grow, and AJ as champion wouldn't do that because nobody outside of TNA knows who he is (or at least not nearly enough to have a big effect on viewership). TNA is making Slammiversary one of their big 4 PPVs, so they're going to have big name draws in the Main Event, while showcasing their younger talent (AJ/Joe), however, to increase viewership, they have the big name draws win. If someone who never watched TNA sees some kid from Georgia beat the legendary Mick Foley and Kurt Angle, they'll just laugh and probably never watch again.

If TNA is trying to attract viewers, they're going about it entirely wrong. They should've been able to figure out by now that all these more well known names they keep bringing in are doing nothing for TNA's ratings. TNA was doing the low 1's in the Nielsen Ratings each week before this big influx of older wrestlers and they're still doing the low 1's. So the idea that these older guys are draws for the company is ridiculous. TNA has a small, but loyal following that none of these older, bigger and more established names have proven able to increase whatsoever. So, maybe actually trying to do something major with some of their homegrown talent might actually be the way to go. The numbers don't lie, so if TNA is trying to increase viewership, they need to go in a different direction than the 40+ club. I've already seen a promotion in which younger and healthier wrestlers consistently jobbed to other wrestlers that were well past their prime due to age, physical injury, lack of talent or some combination of all of the above. It was called WCW.

 

[LokiCobain]

If TNA is trying to attract viewers, they're going about it entirely wrong. They should've been able to figure out by now that all these more well known names they keep bringing in are doing nothing for TNA's ratings. TNA was doing the low 1's in the Nielsen Ratings each week before this big influx of older wrestlers and they're still doing the low 1's. So the idea that these older guys are draws for the company is ridiculous. TNA has a small, but loyal following that none of these older, bigger and more established names have proven able to increase whatsoever. So, maybe actually trying to do something major with some of their homegrown talent might actually be the way to go. The numbers don't lie, so if TNA is trying to increase viewership, they need to go in a different direction than the 40+ club. I've already seen a promotion in which younger and healthier wrestlers consistently jobbed to other wrestlers that were well past their prime due to age, physical injury, lack of talent or some combination of all of the above. It was called WCW.

"TNA iMPACT!" launched on Spike TV on October 1, 2005 to an audience of 850,000 viewers. In the last few weeks, TNA has consistently drawn 1.5 million viewers, nearly doubling its initial audience in only two years. "TNA iMPACT!" is the only weekly wrestling show on cable television that has seen ratings growth in 2007. "TNA iMPACT!" is averaging a 1.1 HH rating and an average audience of 1.3 million viewers up +15% and +18% respectively. (WWE's "Monday Night Raw" on USA Network is down -7% in HH rating while ECW on Sci-Fi Channel is down 20% from last year).

In 2008, there were weeks when they weren't breaking 1. In 2009, they never dipped below 1.
http://www.wrestlingnewsworld.com/tna-ratings/

ECW delivered a 1.1 this week too so the year to date rating average still has ECW ahead slightly, but TNA is still ahead by 30,000 + HH, and it's 1.1 rating delivers move viewers than ECW's 1.1.

That's progress and growth. It's not an overnight 2.0 all of a sudden, but it's something, and to attract new fans, they need recognizable people, capitalizing on them when they can still function in the ring. But hey, I guess statistics are ridiculous, while not lying. And yes, you saw WCW have the older guys job out, but how were WCW's ratings? They increased by bringing in the other talent. So it worked in that regard. Doing it for too long was WCW's problem. Had WCW not brought these guys in, they wouldn't have been able to land the TV deal and get the ratings that they did. So by saying that bringing in older guys doesn't help ratings, except for when WCW, the only other company that really "made it", did it, you're in fact agreeing that it does. If every year TNA's average goes up even a decimal, that's progress, and that's what they've been doing...according to the numbers that don't lie...

 

[LokiCobain]

I tend to disargee with the above post about a.j not ready to be world champion. First off the arguement about him being unknown to people outside tna is pretty silly, that excuse worked when tna was first created but by now the majority of the wrestling world knows about aj styles, he wasn't some unknown jobber he was in ROH and even vince knew of his potential that's why early in aj's tna career vince offer him a contact yet he turned it down. Aj is the most over face on the roster and has not been showcased as he should have and be more involved in the main event. Tna can't build the stars of tommorow by playing hot potato with the tna title. tna is doing what lead to wcw destruction by having the same guys get the main event push while the younger guys either job or don't even get a chance. Aj with the legend title is pointless because the belt isn't credible so why would anyone care if he defends it. Now with the tna championship not only will u have a fresh champion that is over but also have fresh fueds that tna has been lacking for months. I think aj winning at slammavery would have been unpredictable and a hignly popular choice doing more for the product instead of joe joining the mafia and kurt receiving the belt which right now doesn't even make sense at all storyline wise. Btw yea I hope joe gets the title before aj we saw how great his last title run was lol.

Okay well let's think about the "wrestling world". Do you mean wrestling fans who were fans at one point, or wrestling fans now? With WWE being aimed at children, the majority of wrestling fans currently are going to be children. Good parents would probably block Spike, and TNA isn't aimed at children. TNA is aimed at the older generation, who grew up with Sting and Angle and Foley. Once WWE got ridiculous, these people who grew up in the Attitude Era probably stopped watching wrestling, either they grew out of it or started finding the storylines and characters repetitive. Those are the fans that TNA is aiming to draw back, the older generations who began getting turned off by WWE 7 years ago. So the "wrestling world", be it kids or those lost fans, wouldn't know AJ Styles, at least from a majority standpoint. The people who know AJ Styles are the people who have been following wrestling through the years regardless, from all the different companies. People who stopped being fans wouldn't have any idea who he is, and Sting and Angle would be bigger draws than he would for them.

And the point of a swerve is to be unpredictable. The fact that it doesn't make sense at the moment is a good thing, and it makes people want to tune in for Impact to see where this is going. if Jarrett won, it would be a turn off and not a swerve. Joe handing Angle the belt is a ratings draw for Impact...

 

[gd]

I think that AJ should've been World Champ months ago. The whole main event picture doesn't usually make much sense though. Why did Rhino get a shot against Sting? Why did Jay Lethal get a shot against Sting? Why were the Dudleys in a title match?

I think it's stupid that AJ is floundering in the midcard with the stupid Legend's Title when he should be the face of the company like Cena is in the WWE. If he isn't World Champ within a few months I wouldn't be surprised if he left.

 

[LokiCobain]

I think that AJ should've been World Champ months ago. The whole main event picture doesn't usually make much sense though. Why did Rhino get a shot against Sting? Why did Jay Lethal get a shot against Sting? Why were the Dudleys in a title match?

I think it's stupid that AJ is floundering in the midcard with the stupid Legend's Title when he should be the face of the company like Cena is in the WWE. If he isn't World Champ within a few months I wouldn't be surprised if he left.

So the main event title scene doesn't usually make a lot of sense due to 3 matches, one of those matches (Rhino) being how many months ago?

AJ Styles doesn't come close to having the marketability that Cena has. If AJ were selling merchandise or attracting fans at the rate Cena was, he would be champion. He already has been a 3-time world champion, and that helped the company with where it was then, but since becoming a national and global company, they need someone with more star power and name recognition at the top of their company (the role of the champion) like Kurt Angle or Sting.

Rhino and Lethal both got title shots, yes, but so has AJ. In fact, he just had one at the last PPV. It isn't as if Rhino, Lethal, and the Dudleyz are getting precedent over AJ. AJ was in the main event of what TNA considers one of their biggest PPVs, so it isn't as if he isn't getting chances.

 

[T2KFreeker]

Looking at this whole thread was a joy. I am enjoying the opinions and it is nice to see some love for AJ as a performer. I have been a fan since Air Styles when he was a part of Air Raid in WCW, so this is cool. I have to agree with the fact that it isn't quite time yet. AJ is growing as a perfomer and has the potential to be on the same level as other smaller guys like Benoit, Guerrero, Hart and Michaels. It will happen, but the more prestige they pump into that belt before it happens, the better it is. The way I see it, if you wanted to make AJ the crown jewel of TNA, when it comes time for Sting to retire, you go the route of Ric Flair. They build up the respect factor between Sting and AJ, but the storyline leads them to a point where it becomes a career match and AJ retires Sting. Mind you, this is a year or two down the road, but not only would they have to do it just right where both of them come out looking like Faces, but it would have to be done where Sting and AJ still have that respect for each other, and that would indefinitely pass the torch to AJ and wo0uld add credibility to him. People would consider AJ the big deal as he retired Sting, the most famous wrestler to never work for the WWE. A true wrestling Icon. This would be then when you get Styles into the title picture for serious. Who's going to look at the guy that retired Sting as just "Some Guy From Georgia" at that point? Hell, people who would have never seen a TNA match just might hear about AJ Styles because of this and just might want to see what the big deal is. Not saying AJ isn't a good entertainer now because he is great, but something of this Caliber would make him Elite and would put him on the same level as "Legend to be".