What if....

[JamJam]

So on iMPACT this week, we saw James Storm defeat AJ Styles in a pretty good matchup. So get this, what if at Lockdown, Styles costs Storm his match against Roode, thus turning him heel?

I really think this may be the way to go actually. AJ Styles is not being used right so that could be the reason for his heel turn. Him and Storm could put on a really good feud while Roode gets a new challenger in....maybe Hardy? Hopefully with Hogan in charge now, maybe they bring in someone like Morrison as a face just to balance out the heels and faces.

So yeah, thoughts on this scenario?

 

[jobesukulele]

I like it.
I'd be perfectly happy if that's how events unfolded. A heel AJ is always entertaining. One thing though. I'm not sure why AJ would heel turn unless something big like the title was at stake.

The big thing I'm hoping TNA will lead towards is AJ Styles vs James Storm for the title at Slammiversary, you know because they're the only two day one originals left in the company.

So my events would still result in AJ vs Storm, except maybe when AJ heel turns against Storm to cost him the match at Lockdown he takes out Storm and leaves, but then Storm manages to over come the odds and win the match anyway.

Follow that up with a No.1 contendership match between Roode and AJ Styles at a following Impact.

I know there's some time to kill so a Roode rematch could happen first.

Still, AJ Styles vs James Storm for the World Heavyweight Championship at Slammiversary 2012 is what I really want to see.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Meh, I'm not into it. I wanna get AJ going as much as the next guy, but he's fresh off a feud with Kaz and Daniels where he was victimized again. It's just not logical for him to go from (winning) that to pulling a complete 180° and now playing that very character again.

Something will undoubtedly come up for Styles in the coming weeks. No need to make rash decisions that may end up costing him in the long-run.

 

[Lowdown]

While it could work, it wouldn't be the right way to finish off this feud with Storm and Roode. I like AJ, don't get me wrong, but I think it would be better if he were to turn heel (if he turns) if Storm win at Lockdown and demands a shot at the title. Yet Bully Ray is still in the mix in trying to get a title shot so I really don't see it happening right away.

 

[IHW]

I don't like the idea. Keep AJ face. When he turns, it always ends in a bust. Just make Styles relevant again! Give him a good upper-mid card feud with guys like Crimson, Bully Ray, Pope, or even Aries. Even if Storm was to win, a Storm v. Styles feud where both are face could work.

 

[UFOcalling]

AJ doesn't work as well as a heel, at least IMHO. As it's been said numerous times, his move-set just screams babyface. He had a pretty long stretch as a heel already (when he turned and joined Flair), but I never really "bought it" (and I feel most of the Impact fans didn't either).

I'd love to see AJ get over more than he is, but I don't think turning him heel again is the way to go. It seems like TNA tried to get him over soooo many times in the past, and it just won't stick. Same thing with Samoa Joe...they're believable as World Champions, but after they lose the belt they just seem like mid-carders again. At least that's my take on it, maybe I'm wrong.

 

[vampireblade]

I really want to see AJ get a push again and he is always good as a heel but as much as they tape in the impact zone I honestly cannot see the crowd booing AJ Styles So as of now i honestly don't think it is the right move right this moment if in the future they get more road tapings i say go for it then.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

dont like this idea i think AJ should stay face and screwing storm out of the title win at lockdown really doesnt make much sense to me i think he needs to win the title in his big rematch with roode in all honesty i think aj styles should fued with austin aries over the x divison title sense aries beat just about all the x divison guys already anyway

 

[themizisawesomemikeali]

This idea is horrible! it would ruin the Roode/Storm feud which is being booked to perfection(which is surprising).Roode aand Storm could put on some great matches and some decent promo-work if given some time!AJ in the mix would ruin all the credibility and heat of the feud!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Doesn't do much for me really because, truth be told, AJ Styles is not a great heel. When it comes to in-ring ability, Styles is one of the top guys in the game in any company. However, let's face it, Styles isn't exactly loaded with charisma or great promo skills. That's why, as good as he is in the ring, he'll probably never be the true, 100% "face" of TNA Wrestling.

The times I've seen Styles as a heel since I've been watching TNA, he came off looking like a clown more than anything else. The first time around, when he was part of Christian's Coalition, he was mostly the comedy guy of the group. He was kind of a doofas running around in a Jerry Lawler like crown and saying all these goofy things. Then, after going heel a while back, he was turned into a Ric Flair clone in which he dressed in the suits, did the mannerisms and generally behaved like Flair. It just didn't work at all because not only does Styles not have the charisma to pull it off, but he just looked downright physically uncomfortable in the role sometimes. I also don't buy into Styles as some sort of tough guy heel, he's just not got the size or physical presence to pull it off. In all honesty, just keeping Styles as a somewhat generic babyface that's over with the crowd and can go in the ring with anybody is probably the role he's best suited for.

As for the idea of interfering in the match in and of itself and costing Storm the title, personally, I think it'll do more harm than good. While I like Bobby Roode and think he's done a good job as champ all things considered, I think he needs to retain the title on his own if TNA intends for him to retain. Roode hasn't scored a credible looking win in title matches in months and having to be saved yet again won't do much for him. He's done good promos and he's had good matches but, at the end of the day, he's almost always getting saved from losing his title due to outside interference of some sort. If the idea is for him to retain, then I think he could use a solid win over Storm to boost his credibility. If TNA wants him to cheat his ass off in the match and still retain, great, but I think they need to lay off the outside interference in his title matches. Also, Lockdown is supposed to be one of their biggest shows of the year. At a show like Lockdown, I think fans do want to see decisive wins. Lots don't want to pay their money to see something only to have the end result be something that they can see for free on IW the following Thursday.

 

[ABMorales787]

How about he just does his job and makes the rest of the locker room look as good as him? Like he did in that match with Storm? Because, not everything has hidden depths. Maybe AJ will just move on and wait for the next a-hole that wants to mess with him.

Silly, right?

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I haven't watched much TNA in the past two years but my understanding is that he has had a long stretched out feud with Daniels that has tired out. Could TNA pull off a scenario where at the end of the feud we see Daniels and Styles bury their animosity to the point where we assume Daniels is "turning face", but instead of Daniels turning face the swerve is upon us as Styles is the one giving up and "turning heel"?

They could do drastic things to Styles like shave his head, oil him up and change his ring attire. Daniels could take on more of a manager/leader/tag-team partner role with Styles (yes, I know they were tag-team partners before, I think that helps the swerve work). They can use TNA's so-called mistreatment of Styles as part of the change in attitude. It would give the tag team division more life and give Styles the chance to mostly stay off the mic while feuding with guys like RVD (he's back, no?), Hardy and Storm.

The OP idea is fine but it doesn't blow people away and leaves AJ vulnerable to his weaknesses and repetitiveness as the same-old-shit heel we've seen before. Plus it sounds like Storm and Roode deserve to have their own story.

 

[Coco]

I'm of such mixed feelings on this. I mean, not the idea proposed in the OP. AJ interfering in the Storm-Roode match doesn't appeal to me whatsoever. However, the idea of an AJ heel turn crossed my mind a few weeks ago when Daniels and Kaz cut the promo about how maybe AJ is to blame for people turning on him, how maybe he's not the nice guy we all take him for. I thought that angle had legs and if they wanted to turn AJ heel, they should have run with that, possibly making Anderson the babyface he feuded with after turning. Heck, I'm even a fan of goofy heel AJ. Making the things that AJ did to rub his friends the wrong way turn out to be obnoxious, over-the-top idiosyncrasies is the sort of the thing I would have gleefully lapped up. AJ as a midcard comedy act would still get him more play than he's getting now, he'd still put on great matches when not entertaining in a non-wrestling role, and he'd certainly stand out from your average "serious business" heels. If people are willing to look past how upset they are that AJ doesn't main event consistently, they might even see this as a positive for him. But no, turning on Storm at LockDown is a stretch, and a rather unappealing one at that.

That said, I still think there's some life left in Roode's title reign. I think Jack-Hammer is way off base when he talks about Roode needing a credible win as he's making too much of the smark fallacy that credible wins are necessary. Heels cheat, and I have no problem with Roode continuing to benefit from underhanded tactics in general, and interference specifically. I don't even have a problem with that happening on a major show like LockDown. AJ might not be the right man for the job when there are more tantalizing storytelling options for him, but I'm not opposed to interference in this match. And if new face challengers like Anderson, Aries, and possible Sting and Rob Van Dam are on the menu for Roode going forward, I'm all for extending his reign at the top of Impact Wrestling.

 

[TBK]

I think one of TNA's biggest problems is almost nobody is a solid heel or a solid face. There are some guys in WWE who haven't gone from heel to face in years. On the other hand, it's hard to find people in TNA who haven't turned alignments at least once a year. It gets a bit confusing sometimes, especially for guys like Abyss and Mr. Anderson who go from heel to face at the drop of a hat.

I think a James Storm/AJ Styles feud could be good, but I think both of them have no reason to be turned heel. Turns should be saved for when the time is right, and at the moment it's not really their alignments that's the problem. They should just be pushed more as faces.