Who is the Face of TNA?

[finkd]

AJ Styles. Its always been him.AJ Styles IS and ALWAYS will be the face of TNA. AJ Styles Apart from James Storm and Jeff Jarrett, he's been there the longest, has held every TNA title at least once, is the longest reigning TNA World Champion, is the first ever TNA X Division
Champion, and is the only wrestler still there who was in the first ever TNA match.
Everyone who watches TNA loves him, and he is their most recognisable TNA Original.

 

[Rayne]

Yes, all that, and when programs are built around him as the face of TNA/IW, the ratings don't move an inch. People like AJ Styles, but he's had time and time again to be the guy to draw an audience, and he doesn't. They gave him the best promo guy in the history of the industry, and the crowd didn't give a shit- at least, not with their wallets. There's a reason he had the title pulled off of him by RVD with almost no build to it.

Jeff Hardy drew better, Sting drew better, Mr. Anderson draws better, Kurt Angle is going to draw better. Yeah, he does flips, he's a good performer, but he's not a money draw. That's not to say he doesn't have a valid, high-ranking spot in the TNA/IW hierarchy, but the days of AJ Styles being TNA/IW's go to guy are dead and gone.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Wrong. AJ Styles is a great wrestler and a fan favorite among internet fans especially, but he is not the "face" of TNA, as the "face" of TNA is the guy who draws best for the company, and in that respect he just can't hang.

As Rayne already mentioned, Hardy, Sting, Angle and Anderson all out-draw him. Every one of them.

 

[donnelllangs]

I personally don't think tna really has a face of the company. None of them are pushed like John Cena. You say AJ can't draw. Well none of them can draw because no matter who has the belt the ratings is always at a 1.1, 1.2 and every blue moon it is at a 1.3. Everybody is talking like the ratings is skyrocketing when certain people have the belt. The ratings never move. Until Sting, kurt Angle or who ever else has the belt can push the ratings let's stop talking about what aj couldn't do. AJ is not the reason the champion is changed every month. So if you lose the belt in a month are you a draw?

 

[owen8472]

does it matter TNA ia a weak product I know so bad that TNA would like to think it competes with WWE and WCW it dont: TNA is like the worst NFL OR MLB team you have a few good players but your still 100 games out of 1st with or 1-15 I would say 0-16 but I thinhk that losing tampa bay team is still better than TNA

 

[LegendKiller716]

The face of TNA is Sting. It's that simple. All the main story lines are focused around him, he's a multiple time world champion, and he has the star power.

I think they're slowly moving to have Crimson as the face of TNA, but to do that they need to give him some mic time. Introduce us to Crimson. I also think he should get some gold. TV title?

As for AJ styles as the face of TNA? He's one of my favorite TNA stars, but that's like saying Tommy Dreamer was the face of WWECW. Far from true.

 

[It'sMyYard]

There is no face of TNA. If there was one, I always think it's better when that person doesn't have the heavyweight title. It's the title chase that gets the draws because everyone wants to see them win it, once they have it - is there an upwards route?

Face of TNA? There isn't one.

 

[Jesse-Jeniside]

As far as face of TNA goes I think Legend Killer 716 summed that up nicely. Even at age 52 Sting is able to entertain and pull of decent matches. Notice I said decent. I like the idea of Kurt Angle having the Championship now. I think this will set up some good matches hopefully with RVD even though I think RVD will be wrestling Jerry Lyn because of his interference at Hardcore Justice. I know ratings like to sit around 1.2 in TNA, but i wouldn't be surprised if I see a 1.4 rating soon.

 

[Dizzy]

There is no face of TNA. If there was one, I always think it's better when that person doesn't have the heavyweight title. It's the title chase that gets the draws because everyone wants to see them win it, once they have it - is there an upwards route?

Face of TNA? There isn't one.

Kurt Angle would like a word with you. 23 months since his last title reign, he's been a face and the warrior, backbone of the company.

Kurt Angle and Sting are the faces of the company. Right now, TNA is trying to give that honor to Crimson and Gunner.

 

[wrestlemaniac]

In my opinion it always has been AJ. I always have to laugh a little when I hear people say sting and kurt angle and hardy etc. I'll agree with an AJ Styles promo...it's the house that AJ built

 

[Rayne]

In my opinion it always has been AJ. I always have to laugh a little when I hear people say sting and kurt angle and hardy etc. I'll agree with an AJ Styles promo...it's the house that AJ built

It is the house that AJ built. Then Christian renovated it, Kurt Angle remodeled it, and Hulk + Eric tore the fucking thing down and rebuilt a new house on the land.

 

[Dizzy]

I'm sorry but I didn't know AJ Styles owns TNA. I thought it was the Jarrett's and Dixie Carter who built that house.

Maybe if AJ Styles had a personality, he would get more title reigns and pushes. AJ's personality is on the same level of Justin Gabriel or Daniel Bryan.

Nobody takes him seriously. Nobody. He won the belt cleanly, had a 6 month reign and didn't draw a dime. BFG 2009 was based off Sting. Not him. That's how much of a "draw" AJ Styles is. The entire California crowd booed him until Sting had to cut a 5 minute promo putting him over before he got some sort of praise.

He is not the face, never will be and he never built TNA. He was the guy who put on classic matches and made the company stand out from ROH but that's it. He has a low ceiling until he gets a personality and some mic skills.

Jeff Hardy cuts terrible promos but he still has a marketable and likability.

Crimson has a boring personality and doesn't speak. But he has a badass look and marketability that overlooks it.

Angle doesn't have the personality he did in WWE but he cuts real promos, he still is a wrestlers wrestler, he is marketable as an American Hero.

AJ Styles has a boring personality, look, not believable promos and not marketable. That's it. His wrestling ability? BEYOND anybody in the business. If he had the total package, he would be pushed harder.

 

[nwo1234life]

The face of TNA since his debut in 2006 has been Kurt Angle he is the guy that got TNA noticed.

and before him the face of TNA from the beginning in 2002-2006 was Jeff Jarrett since he was constantly the world champ.

and i'am predicting that at BFG even though i think he sucks and should be Robert Roode that Angle will pass the torch to the new face of TNA who will be Crimson.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I don't think TNA has a true face, and that's part of the problem. One of their main problems is that they don't have a true direction; their story lines are all over the place, featuring different guys at different times, without really picking someone as their main guy, whether he be a face or a heel. TNA lacks the one go to guy, which does not necessarily have to be a bad thing, but in their case, I think it is.

I guess it all depends upon how you define the face of the company. I see the face of the company being the guy(s) you build the company around and move forward with over an extended period of time. John Cena and Randy Orton are the faces of WWE. They are always prominent in the story lines, whether the title is involved or not, although it usually is.

Sting cannot be the face of the company at his age, as I don't think the "face of the company" changes every couple of months. He cannot and will not be around much longer. I could make the same point about Kurt Angle, who may be the current Heavyweight Champion, but his health and age, and his lack of regular appearances on TV for extended periods of time, prevent him from being the face of the company. Jeff Hardy is hardly the face for obvious reasons, and Anderson isn't because he's not good enough to be.

AJ Styles should be the face of the company, but he isn't and likely never will be, especially as long as Bischoff and Hogan are around. Rather than making him the face of the company, they will continue to underutilize him in meaningless feuds with the Dudleys and Tommy Dreamer. And TNA will continue with no true face of the company, no one to progress forward with as they strive toward the 1.5 barrier.

 

[mancpenguin]

Sting is the face of the company as he's the biggest draw that the company has. Check out the adverts for the UK tour and the major selling point is that Sting will be appearing. Maybe it's different in the UK to the US but I don't think AJ draws as many people as the likes of Sting would do.

 

[Rayne]

I'm sorry but I didn't know AJ Styles owns TNA. I thought it was the Jarrett's and Dixie Carter who built that house.

The phrase is built off of the saying for Yankee Stadium, "The House That Ruth Built." No one calls it "The House That Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston Built". They don't mean that Babe Ruth was outside laying bricks before gametime; the idea is that Babe Ruth drew so much money as to make construction of old Yankee Stadium possible; much as AJ's marketing says that TNA/IW was built off the money that he drew.

Whether you believe that or not- I really don't- don't take the marketing statements at literal face value, everyone else understands how the marketing statement is meant and taking an obviously figurative statement literally makes you look like an ass.

 

[LegendKiller716]

It is the house that AJ built. Then Christian renovated it, Kurt Angle remodeled it, and Hulk + Eric tore the fucking thing down and rebuilt a new house on the land.

I was about to respond to that quote in a similar fashion, but that was great.

 

[skeet mg]

I'm gonna have to go with Sting. He's always in the main event and along is the biggest draw for them, him or Kurt Angle. The backbone, the blood of TNA will always be AJ Styles.

 

[The Rich]

There is no face of TNA.

There is not one specific person TNA trusts to push as the face of their company.


Sting is 52 years old.

Kurt Angle is 41 years old and will soon be taking a good deal of time off to compete in the Olympic Qualifiers.

Hulk Hogan is not an active performer

AJ Styles is currently being utilized as a mid-carder.

Jeff Hardy is a mess.


Hopefully in the next few years, All of the old names will be gone (Sting, Angle, Hogan, The Dudleyz, The Hardys, Steiner, Bischoff, Flair, etc)

TNA cannot possibly hope to improve their image and their ratings with the old names. All of them have had their better days.


Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Crimson, Beer Money, Motor City Machine Guns etc
^
These are the guys that they should be pushing to the heavens, One of them should be made the face of the company

 

[superstitionstx]

My vote goes to ODB...

 

[Bmauricej]

Jeff Hardy drew better, Sting drew better, Mr. Anderson draws better, Kurt Angle is going to draw better. Yeah, he does flips, he's a good performer, but he's not a money draw. That's not to say he doesn't have a valid, high-ranking spot in the TNA/IW hierarchy, but the days of AJ Styles being TNA/IW's go to guy are dead and gone.

Then they need a Shawn Michaels to come and say you know Sting and Kurt Angle are not going to be around forever.

To be honest, TNA's face is Hulk Hogan. That's the face of TNA. He's the one that goes to all the events outside of TNA. The face is not always the biggest draw. WWE got you believing that because their biggest draws goes to all the events and is focus on the most.

In TNA, that guy is Hogan. While Jeff, Sting, Angle and RVD all draw more than AJ, they don't draw many more than AJ did. TNA needs market awareness. They should call a marketing company like Creative Architech or Leo Burnett to help build them up.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

i always saw Kurt Angle and AJ Styles as the faces of TNA no matter what because angle is 1 of their biggest draws,styles has been there sense day 1 match 1 and to me they seem like the TNA/IW verisons of cena and orton...minus being superfaces (thank god for that) but its more angle then it is styles imo

 

[Old/New School Hybrid]

Say your prayers and take your vitamins...it has to be Hulk Hogan. Ok, now that its been said, all the HH and John Cena fans can get in line and bash me while they continue to make $$$$$ for their companies, which is the ONLY reason WWE or TNA is in business, for the $$$.

 

[THE AWESOME MIZFIT]

Sadly now and days when people think of TNA they think of Hulk Hogan. At least thats what I can see. It's unfortunate. Although Hogan has given them more mainstream media he hasn't really done anything for TNA except bring in guys that really don't need to be there. In my opinion he's in it for the money and not to better the business. He's a selfish old man. Evan after all these back surgeries he still wants to step in the ring and take the spot light from stars that can really use it.

 

[Shakin' Abe]

This is a great thread because it actually shows just how messed up TNA is and has become. Once upon a time, I'd say Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles were the faces of the company. The Hogan era has ruined all of that. TNA has so many unfinished storylines out there that no one man or woman can be seen as the face of the company. This is very sad because it shows no direction what so ever! I think Velvet Sky is as much the face of the company as any of the men wrestling there today!