How TNA Lost AJ Styles FOREVER

[@mycahjofficial]

I don’t blame AJ for leaving TNA at all. It would really suck to spend an entire decade working for a company that you literally put your blood, sweat and tears making the most of what you do. The fact that they wanted him to take a 60% pay cut really just goes to show the lack of appreciation that they shown to him. It also didn’t help the fact that the company was doing horrible at the time anyway because of all the damage that was done by Hogan and Bischoff.

[@mrnicemam8523]

It's not about the lack of appreciation, they just couldn't afford to pay him that well.

[@beagles1518]

AJ Styles is to TNA,what Sting was to WCW!

[@Box_munchies_93]

Not only that but Jeff Jarrett even confirmed in an interview a while back that yes, they were going to cut AJ’s pay by 60% but they WEREN’T going to cut his DATES. I mean, come on bruh!!

[@ONEFATE9]

@@mrnicemam8523 But they could afford to pay Terry Bollea and Eric Pissoff?

[@beagles1518]

@@mrnicemam8523 You got a point regarding the phenomenal one, TNA don't have that WWE or AEW $!

[@beagles1518]

AJ Styles is to TNA,what Sting was to WCW! Company men!

[@joshuafoight9579]

Clearly not, because Sting stayed until the end, and AJ left. Not that it was a bad thing, but that's not my point

[@clarity2115]

@@joshuafoight9579 Sting also was never offered 60% less in his contract in WCW

[@joshuafoight9579]

@@beagles1518 well yeah, and that's why he left

[@jrtg5758]

Sting was a big backbone to tna as well that’s where I really experienced him since I’m a 90s baby and didn’t see surfer sting in WCW just the tail end of WCW

[@HarleyQuinnSoldier]

​@@clarity2115well, that we know of

[@cjtquk]

Styles just knew how to do the high flying stuff at the right time and not for pointless spot fests. Going to Japan was best thing he did to reinvent himself and later went to WWE where he showed his improved promo skills. He is a HoF worthy wrestler for WWE and especially TNA.

[@Disxreet]

He is the greatest wrestler of all time. Imo of course

[@djangofett4879]

he understood the pacing. big moves should be followed by a big pause in the action to sell the pain and let the audience reaction play out. all those original TNA guys did it right. R Truth, Black Machismo, they all got it. that's one of the big differences between TNA and AEW and why AEW is often unwatchable.

[@robertperry2596]

​@@Disxreetcena is

[@bdr113080]

I really didn’t watch a whole lot of TNA, but I remember by the time he got to ROH I thought he was pretty damn good and I’m one of these people that hates the modern wrestling high spot fast where it’s just moves for the sake of moves with no psychology. I really like AJ. I think AJ started off good because I remember his early career and he wasn’t just doing a high spot fest but I think being around other modern wrestlers and AJ was more athletic than even most of these athletic wrestlers and it felt like maybe he was just trying to be The best of the guys doing the flippy shit after he had been in TNA for a while. I really hate that W isn’t around anymore because I think he would’ve been the next Sting of WCW.

[@dylanmalone14]

The minute I saw AJ and Samoa Joe are no longer in TNA I knew it would be all downhill from there

[@mann3ify]

but TNA is barely around thanks to Scott D'Amore as Anthem did NOT want him anymore as he had to restart Maple Leaf Wrestling. I hope ex-Impact Wrestling/GFW doesn't bite them in the ass!

[@vileluca]

the minute they got rid of the 6-sided ring it was all downhill. That was like Disney getting rid of Mickey Mouse.

[@philliesphan334]

AJ Styles being proposed a 60% pay cut after all he's done for them is why employees need to think twice before being loyal to their employer.

[@snowvalkyrie]

AJ deserves better than being a knockoff or a third wheel. I am so glad he made his way to WWE. The fans have treated him well because he works so hard.

[@sirnetflix7162]

To be fair, I wouldn't say RVD is simply a "former WWE guy". He made his name in ECW, WWE just elevated him further. Not to mention, he did indie dates after leaving WWE and prior to joining TNA. RVD would have still been a huge name whether he went to WWE later on or when he did. I'm a bit biased, but he did good work in TNA in my opinion. And RVD was a former world champion, multi-time IC title winner, MITB winner, etc. It's not like he didn't have the credentials and the fans all loved him. I do agree they could have been a way better story going into the win though.

[@SuperKamiGuruu]

Mostly saw RVD on TNA anyways, THE WHOLE FUCKIN SHOW theme is goated

[@nineteeneightynine432]

​@@SuperKamiGuruu I'm a huge Rvd fan he's my number one all time. But he was not the same by the time he was in tna his style doesn't age well still love rvd though

[@SuperKamiGuruu]

@nineteeneightynine432 Yeah looking back on his career over the last few years taught me how much good in ring skills he had when he was with vinc3

[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

Not just Hogan and Bischoff. People keep forgetting that Vince Russo was working there as well

[@jimbo_1312]

Was that the time he was there and all the fans wanted him sacked & TNA went and rehired him on the quiet?

[@dasiareed2708]

@@jimbo_1312yea he was there secretly

[@ItsAVolcano]

I will never understand the rehiring, not only because the fans hated Russo but because their TV network had a contractual stipulation that TNA couldn't do so.😅

[@trajectoryunown]

Holy crap, you might be right. I pinpointed Dixie's first regular appearances on IMPACT as around the time when TNA first started its serious decline. That was 1 months after he became head of creative. After 3 months, Hogan and Bischoff were signed, and TNA started looking like the dumping grounds for WWE rejects. (No offense to the talents. Most were good, but when I tuned into TNA, I wanted to see TNA wrestlers in a six-sided ring. After a while, it looked like another WWE brand plus extras.)

[@DValedof]

SPIKE didn’t forget 😅

[@beagles1518]

When people think of TNA, AJ styles is the first person that comes to mind,it's like Batman & Superman people instantly know from DC comics!

[@Cooljohn760]

Once Hogan and Bischoff came in, it was over with. Dixie Carter let both have creative control which brought the company down. AJ styles was becoming a afterthought.

[@mrnicemam8523]

TNA just didn't have the resources to succeed. Please don't blame bischoff and Hogan. Bischoff made WCW defeat WWF in the ratings.

[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

Vince Russo was there too

[@jimbo_1312]

​@@mrnicemam8523and despite all that, he still ran WCW into the ground

[@mrnicemam8523]

@@jimbo_1312 Thats because he was forced to answer to the higher ups. The turner execs kept on interfering in his work. He had the freedom from 1995-1998, and he knocked it out of the ball park. Blame the turner execs for killing WCW. Not him.

[@Joshua-hf5ui]

@@mrnicemam8523you suck both them off ? Bischoff maybe wasn’t too much of a issue at TNA BUT him and hogan took spots from people that deserved it

[@theconqueringram5295]

Oh yeah, I agree he did make the right decision. All these stupid decisions that tanked the company and they had the balls to ask him for a 60% cut in his salary? No thank you!

[@dkupke]

It says a lot that the instant he debuted at the Royal Rumble, he felt like a bigger star than TNA ever presented him as

[@LifeUnchained1987]

It’s definitely very tragic that he was not in the TNA Hall of Fame because they wanted Sting to be in there first. I also hope this is a lesson for everybody that loyalty and respect for your company is very important and sticking through hard times, but there are times when you know that you’re tolerating being taken advantage of and you have to make the right move, otherwise you’re allowing yourself to be bitched. I’m very happy that he left the company and I’ve also learned from the awesome Kong interview. It wasn’t that they were struggling financially, it was just they had a lot of money, but they just treated people with double standards, and I’m very proud for AJ to tell them to shove it by leaving the company because if he was making $100,000 for example, to go down to $40,000 because of all the bad choices the company made, he would be a phenomenal fool for signing that. I really hope that one day, especially with the partnership with TNA and WWE, they put AJ styles in the Hall of Fame and then they change it to the phenomenal One Hall of Fame in his honor because he should’ve been the first person, or they make him an honorary inaugural member like do something special for him to make up for what happened. The other thing that I’m very proud of with AJ styles is that he was very mature about leaving the company and letting it go. Because he could’ve easily become somebody who bitches and moans about the company and the fans would eat it up, but he was mature enough just to say that line which is he didn’t shed a tear when he left the company.

[@jimbo_1312]

AJ has since said he much preferred bumping in a 4-sided ring as the 6-sided ring hurt.

[@sirnetflix7162]

Sting also said the four sided ring was better

[@constablekennedy7705]

Aj Styles had quite a Remarkable Professional Wrestling Career considering his Size or Lack thereof

[@nate_thegreat313]

AJ was my top favorite at TNA’s golden years. The moment AJ Styles left TNA, I fell off of watching it. Can’t blame him for leaving because of Dixie Carter and for her bringing in Bischoff and Hogan which put him in a tough spot creatively

[@IamjustBruh]

AJ was literally HIM in TNA and while people came and go in TNA, I still watched for AJ and when he left, I stopped watching TNA

[@JohnnyWasabi]

Thinking about it me to.

[@DoofSenpai]

Imo Aj and Joe were the face of TNA. When the company lost them both I knew they were screwed. They should have done whatever it takes to keep them both.

[@theskeeboo]

The post-TNA AJ New Japan Bullet Club run was phenomenal. As was his 2016 WWE run after turning heel on Cena and winning the world title within a year of his debut.

[@MichaelSpikes-pv6kl]

Excellent video

[@Cameron_611]

Homegrown gets thrown around a lot these days. To me a TNA original is someone who started their wrestling career in TNA and so forth with AEW and WWE. No doubt he was a huge staple in there company and at one point a main stay.

[@lalberts]

Pairing Styles with Flair made sense to me. There was a time when Styles was to Cena what Flair was to Hogan. You can’t change my mind.

[@brandonperkins176]

TNA shot themselves in the foot after ruining AJ Styles' career. The 60% paycut and lack of respect was enough to leave.

[@Comatose_Era]

1 critique. Technically Aj got his first mainstream exposure in WCW in 2001.

[@darnelllincoln6026]

Was going to say this. It's fair though that some people would forget, WCW was on its deathbed at that point

[@KINGMONKEY1989]

The only reason I ever watched TNA in the first place was because of guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. It was inevitable it was going to come crashing down once Hogan and Bischoff joined the company. It wasn't all bad but it was was great to watch another promotion I enjoyed since ECW.

[@Mr.Majestic77]

Nic Nemeth, Moose, Josh Alexander, Eddie Edwards and Rich Swann, just to name a few that had a TNA World Championship run over a decade after AJ Styles ran to the WWE. TNA Wrestling has survived the Jarrett(s), the Carter(s) and currently Leonard Asper (CEO of Anthem Sports and Entertainment) running the promotion, and TNA will still be standing long afrer someone buys TNA Wrestling from Anthem Sports and Entertainment.

[@dhenderson1810]

How come we never hear much news about then though. AEW screwing up gets more attention than any achievement by today's TNA.

[@Mr.Majestic77]

@dhenderson1810 well.... There is no legit excuse. Anthem Sports and Entertainment ran TNA Wrestling is a shadow of TNA Wrestling glory days.

[@George18798]

TNA was the only nice thing that came in Pro Wrestling post closure of WCW and ECW

[@Devondavis-fm2dz]

Styles really was the mvp of that place at least he doing better in wwe now

[@ftwsam2246]

AJ and Samoa Joe carried TNA, and were the future until Dixie decided to bring in Hogan and Bischoff. She lost them and the company 😂.

[@nineteeneightynine432]

A.J.Styles was the Tommy Dreamer of tna.😊

[@Andy-ty6gv]

Russo , hogan , bishop !!! How come they didn’t saw that from WCW ???

[@reginaldshort8486]

Dixie brought in Russo Flair Hogan and Bischoff and thought it was a great idea to minimize the ppl who built the damn company.

[@toddkurzbard]

I remember this all too well. I started watching TNA in 2012, when Bobby Roode turned heel on James Storm to win the TNA Championship. To me, TNA was A.J. Styles, and A.J. Styles was TNA. I STILL think "TNA" when I think of him. I WELL remember that "Clair Lynch" angle (and how AWFUL an actress she was), and it was SO bad, I was wondering to myself, "are they INTENTIONALLY TRYING to destroy him?". Much as I loved him in TNA, I was glad when he got out. Clearly they had no respect for him. I'm probably saying this for the first time ever, but this one time, I think a talent going to WWE was the best move he ever did.

[@iAintSayDat]

Making a real life Christian be in an affair or cosplay as Ric Flair is dumb. It’s like making post 90s HBK act like the guy from the 90s

[@dasiareed2708]

Fr it’s so out of character

[@shaqyardie8105]

It's called acting, no one cares about religious beliefs. Is making a christian be a heel also dumb?

[@ShaneusSnake]

The current HBK hasn’t changed from his 90s persona, it’s an act to stay marketable.

[@dallaspalmerton5725]

I would love to see one more match between Aj and Christopher Daniels. those were , hands down, the best matches that TNA ever had

[@charleshiggins2084]

When AJ left, I left.

[@Farmerb1985]

Claire Lynch and AJ styles storyline alongside Dixie Carter were a terrified angle in the early 2010s ,it did tna wrestling mainstream attention or didn't make the fans happy,I understand why AJ styles left tna wrestling and the face of the company, bringing ex WWE stars hurt the company financially and that why he went to join the WWE in 2016 and One of the biggest star there and still loyal to tna wrestling

[@tmproductions18]

I can remember when TNA was first on tv, the first time I saw Sting live. Kurt Angle vs Lashley matches still some top matches of mine with real technical wrestling involved. Me and a few friends back then said it was as good as wwe (ruthless era) but only a short time.

[@Filmation77]

The tale of AJ and TNA is literally the tale of the decline of TNA being the #2 Wrestling Company to becoming especially in 2024, WWEs B*tich.(and everyone makes AEW jokes but for 10 plus years TNA was the IWC's punching bag and it was because of stuff like this.

[@meatwad376]

AJ had a couple matched on WCW Thunder in 2000

[@mikeawesome9212]

"WE WANT SIX SIDES" - Fans "You had six sides, and it only got you so far" - Hollywood Hulk Hogan

[@Sarabheswaran7010]

1st time here, subbed

[@bryanmorrison2396]

The phenomenal one. He a WWE guy treated like a Star from day 1,shame got injured. To think 2017 been WWE now. Nobody wldve predicted that.

[@KemeticKingAsar]

The moment AJ Styles left TNA, I never watched TNA again because AJ was my favorite TNA wrestler & clearly the face of the company. AJ leaving wasn’t a secret either & when he did a few shoots about why he was leaving, it pissed me off so much that I didn't watch TNA again until Trinity/Naomi went there because I wanted to see what she was doing.

[@JasonVelez-q7g]

Yep watching his last match I just knew other tna guys were going to follow suit and within time NXT was the new home for tna guys

[@joecrosby5427]

They destroyed WCW in the 90’s

[@JTPrime08]

AJ Styles is awesome and cool.

[@0fficialdregs]

I loss his best years in TNA and NJPW and love every moment of it. Now he's injury prone and doesnt have a title which is a disgrace

[@troy8613]

It seems that barring bringing Hogan, Nash and Scott hall to WCW that Eric Bischoff has been terrible for pro wrestling!?

[@ryfreedman]

Well done!

[@looplst]

Ill say that AJ did actually need to do some gimmick work by the time Hogan came in and I think it actually pushed him further out his comfort zone that allowed him to then become a lot better on the mic months later.

[@alexmendez4606]

AJ also seems like a stand up family man. He could have been in WWE earlier than he was, but he turned down the developmental contract not just because of the move, but also because his wife was a school teacher and he didn’t want to disrupt her career by being in WWE.

[@7cassandraecw378]

It isn't just that they didn't understand AJ as a performer, they didn't understand TNA as a product. Anyone with an iota of a bond with the company over the years { including most average fans } would have written a better product. When any of us can look at it and say "Yeah, my own booking would be better" you know something was wrong at the beginning of their thought process in the first place.

[@ernestojohn3225]

It was the best decision that AJ Styles did. He is the man!

[@ONEFATE9]

It wasn't just Styles. Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Abyss, Monty Brown, and everyone from the beginning of TNA was screwed over by Pissoff, Bollea, Russo, and Dixie Carter!

[@pushon10]

This is how I feel about my employers. I give so much for them and they treat me like I'm nothing.

[@davidjsaul]

The whole thing when they turned him into mini Ric Flair was stupid. Firstly everyone knows he's a devout Christian and family man so it was hard to suspend disbelief to that level, even for wrestling. Plus he didn't need to be mini Ric Flair. He was already AJ F'n Styles!

[@ElFamosoArt]

I remember watching tna on espn after school thinking wtf is this. But i didn't even compare it to wwe or whatever. I think that they had their own ring, they also had their own style. Plus Daniels and AJ were amazing in their matches!! Good times

[@MrKawaltd750]

A perfect example of bad business vs good business sense.....

[@christopherballero866]

If Ric Flair were trying to convert AJ into living like Ric Flair with: alcohol, drugs, money, & women that could've worked. Also have Flair try to convince AJ to wrestle a more grounded & submission manner like Flair used to do. Offering one of the best in-ring performers of all time a huge pay cut so TNA could bring in older guys was a big mistake

[@tripleh327]

Hulk and bishoff were also the guys that lead wcw down the shitter And in 2013 their role in wcw end was not a mistery Yeah they struck gold with hulk heel turn and the nwo But that in 2010’s was not 1996 wcw They arrived and they created a giant overstacked faction of heels guys centered around hogan putting convoluted storylines swerves and nonsense over actual wresting or the tna points of uniqueness Wait A giant heel factions with way too many members centered around hogan and with the heel manager bishoff at their side staying on top using swerves and back stacking over the homegrown talents of the company Where did I already seen this storyline? A real mistery I am sure it will end just fine for tna like it did for wcw

[@MisterBourgolini]

How sad is it that Vince Russo made AJ Styles a star, yet Eric Bischoff tried to destroy Styles? Just goes to show that Vince Russo knew what to do with AJ Styles.

[@mattphoenix4702]

A stopped clock is still right twice a day. Sometimes Russo somehow managed to produce something that doesn’t induce cringing.

[@MisterBourgolini]

@@mattphoenix4702 Despite disagreements, AJ understood what Vince Russo tried to do for his character. Which is why AJ was a multiple TNA X-Division Champion and multiple world heavyweight champion. The Claire Lynch storyline not only ruined AJ Styles in TNA, but it ruined Julia Reilly's acting career. Because Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter didn't know what the hell they were doing. As much as we want to rag on Russo for crazy storylines, the worst storylines in wrestling are ironically without Russo. And I'll give examples: -Mae Young giving birth to a hand. -Katie Vick -Kane/Lita rape storyline. -AJ Styles imitating Ric Flair -Claire Lynch pregnancy angle. All of these makes the "Viagra on a Pole" match look like a decent match.

[@TheWrestlingClub]

Ngl during that time I was a casual wrestling fan, only knowing wwe, but I was watching impact a lil and one of the main guys for me was AJ Styles he simply made that company

[@MarteloPereira89]

2:42 - Jeff Hardy was already there before 2010... TNA hired lots of ex-WWE/WCW since day 1.

[@theunhingedgamer3762]

the funny thing about the Hogan and Bischoff era of TNA is I had a guy I knew claiming that Vince sent Hogan and Bischoff there to commit corporate sabotage and literally make the company flop lol

[@mushroomsamba82]

Glad that AJ got the respect and the payday he deserved in the end

[@lb2.0.45]

Yeah with how they pretty much devalued him in his last couple of years there you can't blame AJ for leaving TNA.

[@Mister_Sato]

That request to take a 60% pay cut is absolutely absurd!!!

[@skrounst]

TNA: "AJ, we need you to take a 60% pay cut." AJ: "HELL NO! ... Nobody takes food off my family."

[@nineteeneightynine432]

After aj left I quit watching hogan and biscoff made me uninterested the way he treated the tna home grown guys. I watched tna from 04 on FSN until 2013 when AJ left. Haven't been into wrestling since then. Glad to hear Aj is doing well in wwe. Wrestling has changed to much for me to like it.

[@AziaXtremeNFinity]

I'm hoping before he retires since there's been talk he wants to hang up the boots pretty soon that he'll have one more match in TNA considering the partnership between them and WWE well NXT right now just waiting for the RAW and Smackdown wrestlers to show up and obviously he's *THE NUMBER ONE WWE GUY* that many fans want to see back in TNA Hopefully he'll let bygones be bygones put everything in the past and bring some closure for himself and for the fans

[@Nix-7741]

Let’s be honest here. The Bullet Club saved AJ’s career

[@spongeyspikes09]

2 words: Dixie. Carter.

[@ben7932]

They basically did the opposite of the invasion angle - instead of destroying the outside talent to boost their own, they just crushed their own roster to put over some washed up mercenaries

[@Oldschool1943]

also, when AJ styles was on stage a few months ago he hinted on coming back to TNA and like the saying goes "never say never"

[@RomaroBrandon]

AJ Styles should have gone back to TNA in 2020

[@cathallynch1]

I will never forgive Bischoff and Hogan for abolishing the six-sided ring.

[@cleancook695]

When aj left tna I left tna and really haven’t wanted to watch it since

[@thebatman7192]

The Credit For AJ Styles Being In The Wwe And Having A Good Run Goes To Vince McMahon Not Triple H. AJ Is More Of A McMahon Guy Than A Triple H Guy.

[@SuspenceMC]

The last offer he got from TNA was disrespectful

[@Mister_Sato]

There was an era when AJ was comedic. Does anyone remember when and where it was? I cannot remember when but I got some good laughs out of his character then.

[@xzenitramx666]

At the time I face people in denial about tna, if you say anything bad about tna you recieve the title of wwe fanboy. Was a weird time.

[@cococinnamon2236]

2:10 you mean more money for them selfs then good

[@LehotandetPhom]

Tna: could you take a 60% cut? Aj: how about 100%? Byeee

[@wriththing9489]

Darby Allin is for AEW what Aj Styles was for TNA

[@Gazowen-qz5xy]

The end of tna here that clare lynch story finished me

[@JokersVsZombies]

The final straw was when they made AJ's character say the earth was a globe.

[@OfficialRaselTv]

To be fair Jeff hardy was on TNA in the early mid 2000s before Hogan and Eric.

[@dumisatonyjohnson8145]

TNA wasn’t quite the same after he got out of there and went to the WWE. I don’t blame him for leaving town.

[@dhenderson1810]

Let's see. When Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff arrive in TNA,, AJ goes from top guy to have some of the following things happen. 1) The Claire Lynch storyline 2) Accidentally marrying Karen Angle 3) A storyline where if he loses, he can't get a TNA World Title shot for one year,. He loses, and then goes to a losing streak. 4) Not only does AJ keep losing to the likes of Christopher Daniels and Kaz, but was often hoodwinked and tricked by them, making AJ look stupid, WWE wouldn't have signed AJ, since he was damaged goods, if AJ didn't turn things around in Japan and bold back up his credibility.

[@IronClawGaming]

And now we could see AJ have one final run in AEW to pretty soon.

[@bryanmorrison2396]

Cristian n Kurt 2 best from WWE n peak was tna well cristian smashing it now

[@Disxreet]

AJ is the 🐐 of pro wrestling.

[@MasterofVirology]

The only problem i have with this video is you didn't codemn the wrestling fans for harassing a woman. I don't care how bad her acting was , no one has the rignt to harass this woman.

[@packerpf]

How you going to skip over his actual start in wcw?

[@easter_sunday]

I hope AJ goes back before he retires.

[@michaelpatterson8266]

2010 was Jeff Hardy's second TNA run.

[@firstinstinct420]

Jeff Hardy and christain went to tna earlier though i thought

[@angelbamba6987]

Never cared for this guy till he went to WWE, to be honest, he's really good and one of the last few good people on WWE’s current roster in my opinion.

[@blacksun967]

same, I only watched TNA for the Main Event Mafia and Hogan and Bischoff running it, never cared for the X division

[@angelbamba6987]

@@blacksun967 I personally believe that you need a bit more than just Workeate and Dave Meltzer and hardcore fans sucking you off, character work, mic skills, mic delivery, and charisma (verbal or physical) are extremely important and better. I don't hate AJ Styles at all I think he's better than Cody Rhodes but he's not one of my favorite.

[@angelbamba6987]

@@blacksun967 The Main Event Mafia was one of the reasons why TNA was profitable in 2009 and it was a good stable wish they did more with them outside of just championships.

[@AlecValenzuela-ib6zc]

Loyalty eventually gets turned into Leverage.

[@matttrent946]

i know this isnt the place to comment on it, but TRIPLE H signed AJ STYLES to WWE. be it timing or situation, that man broker's enough faith from an (ex) "homegrown" superstar to join a decade spanning rival promotion