'AJ Styles is being wasted' topic

[Jimmy]

I feel like I've probably made this topic before and it's something of a cliche, but that doesn't make it any less accurate. It seriously baffles the living hell out of me. People have said that it's because they know he won't leave, but that really doesn't explain it as far as I'm concerned.

Why on Earth is one of the best talents in wrestling and a homegrown TNA/Impact Wrestling guy used to put over Tommy Dreamer (who is now gone) and Bully Ray instead of in the main event scene where he belongs? His only other 2011 PPV opponent thus far? Matt Hardy.


Must be because established stars like who the fans certainly can't get enough of like Anderson and Jarrett are drawing that big money for TNA.

[forgottensinpwf]

Because AJ's too much of a mark of TNA to ever dispute anything given to him.

[comahan]

While I agree with you for the most part, he wasnt at all used to put over Tommy Dreamer. That was to purely build to the Styles/Ray feud. Could have been anyone in Dreamer's spot.

[CJ]

The man is more than ready to be the face of TNA...

It's a goddamn shame that AJ Styles isn't the top guy in TNA Wrestling by now



The fans wanna see AJ, yet TNA just doesn't seem to care. TNA would rather push Gunner and Crimson, instead of AJ Styles, The Pope and Samoa Joe

It's f***ing idiotic

...and another thing, look at the main event scene!! Why are Kurt Angle & Sting the only guys that can save us from Immortal? TNA really loves these older stars and it's ridiculous. It's time to move on, it's time for something different...
if last weeks Main Event showed us anything, it's that TNA has no future! They keep looking to the past and they will continue looking to the past. Hell, even if they do look to the future it won't last long.

Remember this is TNA!! They'll just f*** up Gunner and Crimson's little pushes as well! Mark my words, Gunner and Crimson are gonna end up like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Matt Morgan, The Pope, and Daniels. Guys who were positioned as the future, and left behind in favor of ex WCW/WWE guys...

There is no future in TNA Wrestling as long as Dixie Carter is in charge and Vince Russo is writing the show...

[rogers67]

Jul 4, 2011 16:41:26 GMT -5 @forgottensinpwf said:

Because AJ's too much of a mark of TNA to ever dispute anything given to him.

Sad but true.

[Deleted]

I like that AJ doesn't consistently main event or be the top guy, he moves around the card. That keeps him from being annoying.

[pacino]

do you want the guy to be cena or something??

[Deleted]

Bret Hart. Mid-90's.

When they need a dependable guy, they will go to AJ.

But he is not a guy they feel can carry the company, otherwise I'm sure they would have pushed him like that years ago.

[Sajoa Moe]

They'll go to him whe they need somebody who "built this freakin' company from the ground up from Day One".

[Cronant]

Am I one of the few who doesn't really see the guy as "Number 1 guy" potential? Not that I can point out someone on TNA who is or anything.

[kyromax]

Still not sure why Gunner has gotten more airtime in some recent shows.

[8.2.11/SAVIOR_NEZ]

Jul 4, 2011 18:01:21 GMT -5 pacino said:

do you want the guy to be cena or something??

I think he *should* be the John Cena of TNA. He's a great worker, decent on the mic, young, in great shape, and seemingly cares about TNA. The crowd loves him, he should be the focus, but unfortunately...

Jul 4, 2011 18:19:38 GMT -5 Sajoa Moe said:

They'll go to him whe they need somebody who "built this freakin' company from the ground up from Day One".

That's what he ends up becoming. Gunner and Crimson, the guys TNA thinks are their future, need much more time to develop in order to be at the level TNA wants them. AJ Styles, along with Samoa Joe, The Pope, and Kazarian are ready NOW.

[thedougfitz]

He should always be a babyface. Hogan's a mark for size like Vince is. He'd rather not have AJ as the top guy. I bet Morgan gets a shot before him.

[CJ]

Jul 4, 2011 18:07:16 GMT -5 @conebone69 said:

Bret Hart. Mid-90's.

When they need a dependable guy, they will go to AJ.

But he is not a guy they feel can carry the company, otherwise I'm sure they would have pushed him like that years ago.

The only people they want to carry the company are people who made their names in WWE or WCW

[BigAl]

And if anyone remembers WCW, thats how bischoff was once hogan came on board, all the homegrown WCW guys got jobbed out to the older WWE stars Hogan brought over (yes, Austin, Pillman, Vader, Eaton, Slater, Rhodes, Anderson all jobbing to the likes of Hacksaw, Barry Darsow, Haku, etc) . And both only pushed new big big guys they found, like Goldberg, and The Wall (anyone remember him?)

[wcw]

TNA's obsession with ex-WWE and ex-WCW talent has been around since before Bischoff and Hogan its just more so magnified.

There is no reason why AJ Styles and Samoa Joe shouldn't be in the main event scene at all times But I will focus this rant on the wasted potential of AJ Styles.

AJ Styles is TNA's home grown guy. The guy is over, reliable, damm good in the ring, and solid on the mic. Yet they push him aside every time a Jeff Hardy comes a knocking.

Would TNA's ratings go down if AJ Styles was the champ defending against the likes of Samoa Joe, The Pope, Robert Roode, Matt Morgan, and only a few other ex-WWE guys? Why do they insist on bringing in past their prime ex-WWE guys and putting them over their existing talent.

Every time TNA's originals are forced to job over and over again to Ex-WWE talent it tells the audience that WWE>TNA.

[Bishblast]

I got tired of saying this long ago.

[Deleted]

slightly off topic, but it always bothers me whenever they talk about how AJ is so young and ambitious and the future of the company when he's been there from the beginning and has been a world champion four FREAKING times. And then they've been saying this off and on since like, 2007. I don't know if they've said it lately. But they've said it multiple times in the past

["Nature Boy" Ric Moranis]

One of the biggest shames of TNA is that they've completely wasted most of these guys since around 2006. Their "youth movement" isn't very young anymore.

AJ's 33 now, Samoa Joe's 32, Daniels is 40, Beer Money are both 34, Matt Morgan's 35, The Pope's 33...most of these guys are gonna start slowing down in the next few years. In Joe's case, he's probably past his prime as he's completely ballooned in weight and slowed down, maybe past the point of no return.

The guys they still have in their 20s...Lethal was released (maybe, still not sure if that was storyline), and The Guns had one good push in FIVE YEARS, and who knows if Sabin will ever be the same after shredding his knee. They put Amazing Red under a mask and dressed him up even more indy than he already was, and then took him off TV.

I appreciate what they're trying to do with Gunner & Crimson. Gunner's only decent though, and Crimson is the absolute wrong guy for THAT push. He sucks. They already have a guy who wasn't green that could make something out of the Goldberg push (Matt Morgan), but they've booked Morgan like a complete turd.

2007-2011 has been pretty crappy for TNA...if only for the fact that it peed away pretty valuable years in most of these guys' careers.

[CJ]

Jul 4, 2011 22:23:23 GMT -5 @xbb198xxx said:

slightly off topic, but it always bothers me whenever they talk about how AJ is so young and ambitious and the future of the company when he's been there from the beginning and has been a world champion four FREAKING times. And then they've been saying this off and on since like, 2007. I don't know if they've said it lately. But they've said it multiple times in the past

Probably because every time he wins and loses the belt, they push him right back down the card as if it never happened...

That's why anytime AJ enters the title scene, it feels fresh. TNA just can't maintain a push