About a month ago TNAwrestling.com had a great clearance sale with all of their older DVDs. Best of the X-Division, Best of Raven, Best of Samoa Joe, but the one I really wanted to get my hands on was The Best of A.J Styles. After watching just a few matches involving The Phenomenal One… I was hooked.
Now don’t get me wrong. I was not completely in the dark when it came to TNA or A.J Styles. Since its inception I have kept up with their storylines and enjoyed watching the product evolve but I was nowhere near a hardcore fan. After watching the Styles DVD I can only compare my response of sheer amazement to one other time after observing a wrestler. About nine years ago I finally decided to stay up late and watch ECW. In my area it came on Sunday’s at one in the morning on MSG. I wasn’t impressed with the matches and non stop plugs of merchandise and future shows. Then a highlight clip of Rob Van Dam came on, and I was blown away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I thought I would never have that reaction towards another wrestler again. A.J is that good.
From flipping off balconies onto Abyss, to sliding under steel guard rails instead of the simple reversal A.J Styles did everything on this DVD. Immediately I found myself interested in the career of A.J Styles. Don't believe me? Take a quick look....
In October, long before watching this DVD, I ordered the TNA Bound For Glory Pay Per View mainly for the main event between Kurt Angle and Sting. A.J at the time was in some tag match involving Pac Man Jones while being sidekick to Christian Cage. I watched a recent episode of TNA Impact thinking surely A.J has moved on to something better. Something more fitting of his unbelievable talent. Yes A.J Styles has moved on, from Christian Cage’s lackey to Kurt Angle’s.
If you don’t know the back story Christian started the Christian Coalition with himself, A.J Styles and Tomko. It was obvious that A.J played second fiddle to Christian which in the beginning I had no problem with. For one it definitely helped A.J be more comfortable in front of the camera and two it should have led to a hot feud with Christian Cage. A.J would finally break free from the mental control of Cage and become the hot baby face of TNA. A role A.J succeeded in as X and World Champion.
Instead Kurt Angle and Christian started a little rivalry that put A.J Styles in the middle of them both. Forget A.J Styles becoming a face and having his much deserved feud with Cage. No he gets pushed aside and embraces The Angle Alliance. This is no way to treat arguably the greatest home grown TNA talent of all time.
Lance Storm said it best recently in a 2008 wish list he made for Thefighnetwork.com. “The AJ Styles that I saw on Impact this week was the biggest idiot loser in this business’s history, and I’d like the return of the guy that once headlined this company as World Champion. Why anyone would take such a uniquely gifted and talented performer and turn him into the biggest Jack Ass in wrestling history is beyond me.”
The only saving grace this entire A.J Styles mess has is the predictable feud between A.J Styles and Kurt Angle. I shouldn’t say predictable knowing TNA’s creative history but this feud HAS to happen and Styles HAS to go over. TNA has cashed in most of their ‘dream’ matches. A Kurt Angle vs. A.J Styles match, if done correctly, is a dream match that I would pay to watch. But it has to be done correctly. And since they dropped the ball on a Cage vs. Styles match, I’m not sure TNA can, or wants to help A.J Styles up from his phenomenal fall.
Now don’t get me wrong. I was not completely in the dark when it came to TNA or A.J Styles. Since its inception I have kept up with their storylines and enjoyed watching the product evolve but I was nowhere near a hardcore fan. After watching the Styles DVD I can only compare my response of sheer amazement to one other time after observing a wrestler. About nine years ago I finally decided to stay up late and watch ECW. In my area it came on Sunday’s at one in the morning on MSG. I wasn’t impressed with the matches and non stop plugs of merchandise and future shows. Then a highlight clip of Rob Van Dam came on, and I was blown away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I thought I would never have that reaction towards another wrestler again. A.J is that good.
From flipping off balconies onto Abyss, to sliding under steel guard rails instead of the simple reversal A.J Styles did everything on this DVD. Immediately I found myself interested in the career of A.J Styles. Don't believe me? Take a quick look....
In October, long before watching this DVD, I ordered the TNA Bound For Glory Pay Per View mainly for the main event between Kurt Angle and Sting. A.J at the time was in some tag match involving Pac Man Jones while being sidekick to Christian Cage. I watched a recent episode of TNA Impact thinking surely A.J has moved on to something better. Something more fitting of his unbelievable talent. Yes A.J Styles has moved on, from Christian Cage’s lackey to Kurt Angle’s.
If you don’t know the back story Christian started the Christian Coalition with himself, A.J Styles and Tomko. It was obvious that A.J played second fiddle to Christian which in the beginning I had no problem with. For one it definitely helped A.J be more comfortable in front of the camera and two it should have led to a hot feud with Christian Cage. A.J would finally break free from the mental control of Cage and become the hot baby face of TNA. A role A.J succeeded in as X and World Champion.
Instead Kurt Angle and Christian started a little rivalry that put A.J Styles in the middle of them both. Forget A.J Styles becoming a face and having his much deserved feud with Cage. No he gets pushed aside and embraces The Angle Alliance. This is no way to treat arguably the greatest home grown TNA talent of all time.
Lance Storm said it best recently in a 2008 wish list he made for Thefighnetwork.com. “The AJ Styles that I saw on Impact this week was the biggest idiot loser in this business’s history, and I’d like the return of the guy that once headlined this company as World Champion. Why anyone would take such a uniquely gifted and talented performer and turn him into the biggest Jack Ass in wrestling history is beyond me.”
The only saving grace this entire A.J Styles mess has is the predictable feud between A.J Styles and Kurt Angle. I shouldn’t say predictable knowing TNA’s creative history but this feud HAS to happen and Styles HAS to go over. TNA has cashed in most of their ‘dream’ matches. A Kurt Angle vs. A.J Styles match, if done correctly, is a dream match that I would pay to watch. But it has to be done correctly. And since they dropped the ball on a Cage vs. Styles match, I’m not sure TNA can, or wants to help A.J Styles up from his phenomenal fall.
2 comments:
I find it to be beyond a shame that a perfomer such as AJ Styles has been severely brushed to the side in favor of talent TNA brings in quickly via releasings from other promotions with WWE recently being the biggest of all of them. There's nothing wrong with AJ initially being pushed in a storyline where he's Christian Cage's sidekick but to throw Angle in the mix and turn Styles into an almost bumbling side show isn't what the fans deserve or want to see in my opinion. The quote about Lance Storm's wish list regarding AJ Styles is probably what alot of wrestling fans who are familiar with Styles would love to see once again. A former X Division and World Champion of his caliber and ability whom at one time was known for being a main eventer is now at best working the better end of the mid card. I'm well aware of the fact that Styles isn't the only the great wrestler in the TNA promotion but he definitely deserves to regain his status as a main event talent.
Questionable booking and rushing recently outside talent who are already well established and have been so for years ahead of a wrestler like Styles who has been with TNA since it started are the two biggest reasons in my opinion for the spot he's currently in now. I don't think that he'll stay in this spot forever because as you mentioned in your blog that there's a pretty good chance for an evenutal showdown between Styles and Kurt Angle which would be awesome if properly promoted. In addition, a well put together series of fiery and provoking promos, back to back fueding, an occassional encounter here and there, and of course the eventual match between the two has a potential to increase ratings and PPV buyrates. A promotion with the talent of TNA shouldn't be hard pressed with at least putting on great matches but they need to have storylines and feuds that the fans can feed off of on any given night. The balance between in ring wrestling and angles has to be where the audience is getting too much of one or the other.
Charles H.
Great point with the rushing of outside talent. Kurt Angle, Rhino, Raven, Kevin Nash, Sting, Scott Steiner, Test!!! all these guys got pushes at their arrival shoving down the likes of styles and joe.
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