What makes AJ Styles so...special?

[Deleted]

He's THAT good.

He's prime Bret without the family issues.

He's prime Shawn without the drug/douche issues (in ring).

[Old Jack Burton]

Among many other factors, he is someone a lot of wrestling fans can identify with being a white guy from the south. That's why he gets over easily and stays over.

How does he avoid shit storylines? Well, he doesn't. But he turns chicken shit into chicken salad. See: everything to do with James Ellsworth (also giving credit to Ellsworth for being way better than anyone expected). He's just that good.

I also get the feeling that his unyielding work ethic and ability to get anyone else over is highly appealing to Vince. And since AJ is in the later stages of his career he can simply refuse to do something retarded if is ever suggested to him, although I bet that is rarely the case right now.

AJ's current WWE title run may have had a lot to do with that week where AJ pulled double duty flying to Brazil and back while sick. That's the kind of thing that Vince sees and identifies with.

[TGM]

He had a best of 3 series with Matt Morgan back in TNA and both guys came out looking fantastic.

AJ is that good, he made me like The Blueprint.

[MrElijah]

He feels like a big deal. His swagger makes you feel you're watching the best on the planet face or heel. To say it in a way that isn't what everybody else hasn't said: He has the qualities of Bret, Savage, Bockwinkel and Flair. Those guys were the Cream of the Crop, where World Champs and without a doubt the best in their respective promotions.

[DSR]

HE'S SIMPLY THE BEST!

*dun dun dun dun*

BETTER THAN ALL THE REST!

*dun dun dun dun*

BETTER THAN ANYONE,

*dun dun dun dun*

ANYONE I EVER MET!

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Dec 21, 2017 16:33:43 GMT -5 Sephiroth said:

Flat earth man

The parts of his brain that are used for reading and writing were replaced by being able to chain wrestle and deliver forearms.

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

AJ's a wrestling savant, and always has been. The dude didn't watch wrestling until he was training IIRC, but within 2 years of him starting he was one of the hottest acts on the indy circuit and signed by WCW. Even when he couldn't talk well enough to order a sandwich he was able to have crowds eat out of the palm of his hand in the US, Japan, and Europe.

@kn talked about this too, but it goes way beyond his ability to lay out a match. Styles was one of the most bland flippy boys in an early TNA that was filled with bland flippy boys, but he was the one who stood out because of his ability to understand how to captivate and manipulate any audience. He's the rare combination of top-tier athlete and top-tier understanding of how wrestling works at its most basic level and always has been.

The crazy thing is that most guys who have that intrinsic knowledge for wrestling also show that intellect somewhere else, whether it's business (HHH), art (Jericho and Hart), or interviewing (Austin) but AJ...doesn't. He just understands wrestling at an incredibly high level for reasons that aren't evident.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Dec 21, 2017 18:01:09 GMT -5 MrElijah said:

He feels like a big deal. His swagger makes you feel you're watching the best on the planet face or heel. To say it in a way that isn't what everybody else hasn't said: He has the qualities of Bret, Savage, Bockwinkel and Flair. Those guys were the Cream of the Crop, where World Champs and without a doubt the best in their respective promotions.

Oh man, just watch that Royal Rumble debut and observe his walk to the ring. Everything in his body language just says, "I'm about to own this place."

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

Dec 21, 2017 19:46:17 GMT -5 OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 said:

Dec 21, 2017 16:33:43 GMT -5 Sephiroth said:

Flat earth man

The parts of his brain that are used for reading and writing were replaced by being able to chain wrestle and deliver forearms.

Thank you for summing up my rambling comment in a nice little package.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Thanks for the response, y'all.

Long story short, AJ is that dude.

[Deleted]

Dec 21, 2017 20:10:04 GMT -5 TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out said:

AJ's a wrestling savant, and always has been. The dude didn't watch wrestling until he was training IIRC, but within 2 years of him starting he was one of the hottest acts on the indy circuit and signed by WCW. Even when he couldn't talk well enough to order a sandwich he was able to have crowds eat out of the palm of his hand in the US, Japan, and Europe.

@kn talked about this too, but it goes way beyond his ability to lay out a match. Styles was one of the most bland flippy boys in an early TNA that was filled with bland flippy boys, but he was the one who stood out because of his ability to understand how to captivate and manipulate any audience. He's the rare combination of top-tier athlete and top-tier understanding of how wrestling works at its most basic level and always has been.

The crazy thing is that most guys who have that intrinsic knowledge for wrestling also show that intellect somewhere else, whether it's business (HHH), art (Jericho and Hart), or interviewing (Austin) but AJ...doesn't. He just understands wrestling at an incredibly high level for reasons that aren't evident.

It reminds me what Austin said about Rusev. During one of the Rumble matches (maybe his first one) guys were doing the usual stuff. You know, pretending to fight each other for a bit until someone else comes in, hanging off the rope, laying down, you know, the regular stuff. Rusev at one point had all these guys trying to throw him out of the ring but instead of doing any of those things he buckles himself down to the floor and grabs a hold of the ropes so it's harder for him to get thrown out. It's something that small that some guys just "get" that makes sense and goes a long way.

AJ does these things too. Like this



Some guys just have that ability to understand, some don't.

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

Dec 21, 2017 20:12:22 GMT -5 Oh Cry Me a Screwball said:

Dec 21, 2017 18:01:09 GMT -5 MrElijah said:

He feels like a big deal. His swagger makes you feel you're watching the best on the planet face or heel. To say it in a way that isn't what everybody else hasn't said: He has the qualities of Bret, Savage, Bockwinkel and Flair. Those guys were the Cream of the Crop, where World Champs and without a doubt the best in their respective promotions.

Oh man, just watch that Royal Rumble debut and observe his walk to the ring. Everything in his body language just says, "I'm about to own this place."

And he's the same dude who, 8 years earlier, had the gimmick of a 14-year-old who was obsessed with Pokemon and accidentally married Karen Angle because he didn't understand how a wedding worked. He's able to be the most authentic person on-screen at any given time, no matter what.

[MrElijah]

Also check out his...."rematch" with Ellsworth. He destroyed him, Not even with a finisher. Shit, Braun didn't beat him that bad.

[MrElijah]

Dec 21, 2017 20:21:42 GMT -5 @kn said:

Dec 21, 2017 20:10:04 GMT -5 TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out said:

AJ's a wrestling savant, and always has been. The dude didn't watch wrestling until he was training IIRC, but within 2 years of him starting he was one of the hottest acts on the indy circuit and signed by WCW. Even when he couldn't talk well enough to order a sandwich he was able to have crowds eat out of the palm of his hand in the US, Japan, and Europe.

@kn talked about this too, but it goes way beyond his ability to lay out a match. Styles was one of the most bland flippy boys in an early TNA that was filled with bland flippy boys, but he was the one who stood out because of his ability to understand how to captivate and manipulate any audience. He's the rare combination of top-tier athlete and top-tier understanding of how wrestling works at its most basic level and always has been.

The crazy thing is that most guys who have that intrinsic knowledge for wrestling also show that intellect somewhere else, whether it's business (HHH), art (Jericho and Hart), or interviewing (Austin) but AJ...doesn't. He just understands wrestling at an incredibly high level for reasons that aren't evident.

It reminds me what Austin said about Rusev. During one of the Rumble matches (maybe his first one) guys were doing the usual stuff. You know, pretending to fight each other for a bit until someone else comes in, hanging off the rope, laying down, you know, the regular stuff. Rusev at one point had all these guys trying to throw him out of the ring but instead of doing any of those things he buckles himself down to the floor and grabs a hold of the ropes so it's harder for him to get thrown out. It's something that small that some guys just "get" that makes sense and goes a long way.

AJ does these things too. Like this



Some guys just have that ability to understand, some don't.

See. That's just some great basic wrestling. I mean we all know Randy is going to win, but that spot there draws you in and sets in the doubt: Holy Crap, has AJ figured out Orton? Is he going beat him like he beat Cena?

[the2ndevil]

Dec 21, 2017 20:21:42 GMT -5 @kn said:

Dec 21, 2017 20:10:04 GMT -5 TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out said:

AJ's a wrestling savant, and always has been. The dude didn't watch wrestling until he was training IIRC, but within 2 years of him starting he was one of the hottest acts on the indy circuit and signed by WCW. Even when he couldn't talk well enough to order a sandwich he was able to have crowds eat out of the palm of his hand in the US, Japan, and Europe.

@kn talked about this too, but it goes way beyond his ability to lay out a match. Styles was one of the most bland flippy boys in an early TNA that was filled with bland flippy boys, but he was the one who stood out because of his ability to understand how to captivate and manipulate any audience. He's the rare combination of top-tier athlete and top-tier understanding of how wrestling works at its most basic level and always has been.

The crazy thing is that most guys who have that intrinsic knowledge for wrestling also show that intellect somewhere else, whether it's business (HHH), art (Jericho and Hart), or interviewing (Austin) but AJ...doesn't. He just understands wrestling at an incredibly high level for reasons that aren't evident.

It reminds me what Austin said about Rusev. During one of the Rumble matches (maybe his first one) guys were doing the usual stuff. You know, pretending to fight each other for a bit until someone else comes in, hanging off the rope, laying down, you know, the regular stuff. Rusev at one point had all these guys trying to throw him out of the ring but instead of doing any of those things he buckles himself down to the floor and grabs a hold of the ropes so it's harder for him to get thrown out. It's something that small that some guys just "get" that makes sense and goes a long way.

AJ does these things too. Like this



Some guys just have that ability to understand, some don't.

I had to watch that .gif a good five times before I realized it wasn’t looping back to the start mid leap.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Dec 21, 2017 20:35:22 GMT -5 MrElijah said:

Dec 21, 2017 20:21:42 GMT -5 @kn said:

It reminds me what Austin said about Rusev. During one of the Rumble matches (maybe his first one) guys were doing the usual stuff. You know, pretending to fight each other for a bit until someone else comes in, hanging off the rope, laying down, you know, the regular stuff. Rusev at one point had all these guys trying to throw him out of the ring but instead of doing any of those things he buckles himself down to the floor and grabs a hold of the ropes so it's harder for him to get thrown out. It's something that small that some guys just "get" that makes sense and goes a long way.

AJ does these things too. Like this



Some guys just have that ability to understand, some don't.

See. That's just some great basic wrestling. I mean we all know Randy is going to win, but that spot there draws you in and sets in the doubt: Holy Crap, has AJ figured out Orton? Is he going beat him like he beat Cena?

It’s not even the spot itself. It’s AJ’s reaction to his own counter. He’s not even sure that would work, but it did, and now he is just one move away from not just beating Randy Orton, but the privilege of wrestling for the WWE title at Mania. You can tell all of that from his body language and facial expressions in that GIF.

[Mozenrath]

AJ's got a few things going for him that tie together to a great main eventer.

-He's very versatile, his style meshes well with a variety of opponents.
-He is a character who is allowed to be funny when he needs to be funny, petty or whiny when needed, and vulnerable when needed. None of these damage his credibility.
-He doesn't have wasted movements, and seems to never lose track of when the camera is on him. Like the comparison to Rusev earlier, he is someone who seems to always behave in a way his character should be behaving in any given moment on camera. He never looks lost or like he's a guy playing at wrestling, but like a wrestler.
-WWE got him precisely when they needed to. He's been booked from the get go as someone who matters, whether he's main eventing or elsewhere on the card, he's treated like someone who can beat anyone in the company on a given night. This is because he came to WWE after having worked TNA, sure, but also abroad once that ended, and it seasoned him as a performer. If he came in as like 2009 AJ Styles, then sure, he'd have probable done well, but he hasn't matured as an act yet, and I don't think it'd have been as good. He also would have had to spend more time climbing the card.

[Deleted]

Dec 21, 2017 20:10:04 GMT -5 TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out said:

AJ's a wrestling savant, and always has been. The dude didn't watch wrestling until he was training IIRC, but within 2 years of him starting he was one of the hottest acts on the indy circuit and signed by WCW. Even when he couldn't talk well enough to order a sandwich he was able to have crowds eat out of the palm of his hand in the US, Japan, and Europe.

@kn talked about this too, but it goes way beyond his ability to lay out a match. Styles was one of the most bland flippy boys in an early TNA that was filled with bland flippy boys, but he was the one who stood out because of his ability to understand how to captivate and manipulate any audience. He's the rare combination of top-tier athlete and top-tier understanding of how wrestling works at its most basic level and always has been.

The crazy thing is that most guys who have that intrinsic knowledge for wrestling also show that intellect somewhere else, whether it's business (HHH), art (Jericho and Hart), or interviewing (Austin) but AJ...doesn't. He just understands wrestling at an incredibly high level for reasons that aren't evident.

A lot of really good points here. I think a lot of us (I'm guessing the majority here are in the same peer group age wise) 'grew up' with AJ too, so the progression is more marked. When he was the flippy boy, we were kids who wanted flippy stuff before spotfests became saturated, then as we've grown up as fans, he's 'grown up' and added to his style in a similar way. He was the great worker WWE didn't have in top when TNA was actually an alternative. He was in New Japan just as their rocket really started to launch outside of Japan. Now he's in WWE and he encapsulates so much of what we want to see in wrestling.

[lucas_lee]

He got a great match out of Lazy Lesnar so to me AJ is that dude (he's always been throughout his career)

[Yacht Persona]

I still find it surreal that he's actually in WWE. His greatest strength is always making himself and his opponent look great regardless of who wins.