AJ Styles: Did they ever do this?

[Deleted]

AJ Styles right now is doing a while mini-Flair-esque character right now, with the women and the partying, which seems so far off from who he actually is.

Its no secret that the best characters in wrestling are people's real-life personas dialed way up.

AJ Styles is a very devout Christian. Wiki has him quoted as saying, "Its God first and family second."

I think Styles could pull off a religious zealot-type character much better than what he's done in the past.

This has the potential for a lot of growth in character. He starts out as someone who wants to win matches for Jesus and geniune stuff like that. He could even drop to one knee and give a prayer before a match.

That's face AJ. Heel AJ could be more pompous about it. He demands the lights be dimmed and spotlight on him for his pre-match prayer and so on and so forth. He could tell all the "Heathens" in the audience to pipe down.

It would have to be done tastefully though - no renaming his moves to be about God and the Bible or anything silly like that.

Just take the real AJ Styles and dial him up to 11.

[comahan]

Finisher: The VERY RELIGIOUS Styles Clash

[corndog]

I would love to see a heel religious Styles. I think it could be done alot like heel CM Punk. Have him call the fans sinners and he can talk about how most of them don't go to church anymore, break commandments and some don't even believe in God and Jesus as their savior. He can say that he will win because he has the power of God within him and God will always help his loyal followers. He can then even claim to be a prophet and messanger of God that came to TNA to clean out all of the sinners and heathens that have polluted the company and the fanbase.

[Tapout]

I don't know Styles personally but I can't imagine he'd want his religious beliefs, which he seems to take very seriously, to be paraded around as a larger-than-life on a pro wrestling show where the audience claps dumb-ass chants about everything. Especially as a heel.

You could see AJ working a house show at a church like Michaels and Sting did that one time, but as his gimmick in TNA, his home fed for so many years? I really doubt it.

[Red Impact]

So, as a heel he'd be Mordecai, as a face he'd be 2006 era Shawn Michaels?

Well, they couldn't possible be as offensive about it as WWE was, but I'm still not really sure they're two subjects that mix.

[Tapout]

Mar 18, 2010 19:02:22 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

So, as a heel he'd be Mordecai, as a face he'd be 2006 era Shawn Michaels?

Well, they couldn't possible be as offensive about it as WWE was, but I'm still not really sure they're two subjects that mix.

You're saying you don't think TNA could take a WWE angle and make it more offensive?

The TNA with Russo/Hogan/Bischoff running creative?

[FailedGimmick]

I'm not sure I would be comfortable watching something like that.

They'd have to tread very, very carefully.

[Red Impact]

Mar 18, 2010 19:03:42 GMT -5 Tapout said:

Mar 18, 2010 19:02:22 GMT -5 Red Impact said:

So, as a heel he'd be Mordecai, as a face he'd be 2006 era Shawn Michaels?

Well, they couldn't possible be as offensive about it as WWE was, but I'm still not really sure they're two subjects that mix.

You're saying you don't think TNA could take a WWE angle and make it more offensive?

The TNA with Russo/Hogan/Bischoff running creative?

Unless Hogan comes out and makes his own religion then books himself in a match against God, then... well then they'd just match WWE

[Bubble Lead]

I think Styles is great in his role now. I hear all this "mini-Flair" talk as if having Ric Flair as your manager is a bad thing. When Flair was HHH's manager, suddenly HHH was wearing suits, cutting Flair-like promos, etc. Nobody said "HHH is now a mini-Flair."

Well, some people did, but it certainly wasn't popular opinion even though the concept was the same exact thing.

[Dave the Dave]

Yeah, they didn't make HHH use Flair's catchphrases and wear a robe though.

[Bubble Lead]

Mar 18, 2010 21:48:43 GMT -5 Dave the Dave said:

Yeah, they didn't make HHH use Flair's catchphrases and wear a robe though.

He used Flair's catchphrases sometimes. I did notice the robe, but it was when he was coming out with Flair in one at the same time, so I thought it was kinda cool. Besides, HHH wore a Flair ripoff robe before he was ever managed by him in WCW AND WWF.

But yeah...my point is that Flair being A.J.'s manager can only be a good thing. A.J. using his promo style and gimmick isn't a completely terrible thing either. I mean, Flair himself got to where he is today by taking someone else's gimmick.

From what I have seen, A.J. seems more comfortable on the mic than ever before, and as always he is one of the best in the ring. I like this version of A.J. better than the "plucky X-Division veteran" of 05-06 or "dorky heel."

Maybe I am just catching the good episodes, though?

[Kris Kobain]

Wouldn't that essentialy be Christopher Daniel's old gimmick?

[Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan]

AJ as a pompous - self-righteous - "I pay my taxes, drive the speed limit, go to church & bone my wife" - jerk I could buy (I pulled off the same type of character in an e-fed, so I'd mark ). But a holy roller-bible beater that condemns the audience to hell, I wouldn't care for.

[Tea & Crumpets]

Mar 19, 2010 8:09:22 GMT -5 Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan said:

AJ as a pompous - self-righteous - "I pay my taxes, drive the speed limit, go to church & bone my wife" - jerk I could buy (I pulled off the same type of character in an e-fed, so I'd mark ). But a holy roller-bible beater that condemns the audience to hell, I wouldn't care for.

This I agree with. ever since I read Jericho's autobiography where he talks about his original idea of Christian Chris Irvine- the cleancut christian babyface who offers Bibles to the crowd & enters to gospel rock, I've always wanted to see the gimmick.

AJ as a face ncie Christian lad could work, and then heeling it up as a sort of arrogant middle American "nice guy" jerk could also work.

But that said, I like the Flair pairing. Even if it does feel unnatural Flair as AJ's mouthpiece/promo coach can only benefit long term.

[AriadosMan]

The thing about a heel religious Styles is, does he really want to make the religious aspect of his life look repulsive and grotesque? Its hard to find a wrestler who is actually willing to accentuate negative aspects of their own lifestyle in the manner Punk did.

That said, goofy country boy comedy heel AJ>evil rich Flair wannabe AJ. Its painfully obvious that the "real AJ" is far removed from his onscreen character. Wrestlers ain't method actors, for the most part, and it really shows with AJ.