PWP Nation’s Zack Heydorn talks about the AJ Styles factor and how it effects the world of professional wrestling, especially WWE.
It’s almost a certainty now that the hottest “free agent” on the pro wrestling market will be stepping into a WWE ring. This man’s name is AJ Styles. AJ Styles is the last outlaw of the independent wrestling scene boom in the early to mid 2000s and a perennial marquee performer for TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling. A big fish in a small pond. Styles will enter the WWE with an abundance of notoriety, experience, and flat out talent. He will also come into the WWE with something else: questions.
Why did AJ Styles finally say yes to a WWE contract?
The answer is two fold people and the first fold should be obvious. Money. Whether you’d like to admit it to yourself or not, AJ Styles is just like anyone else when approached for a new job. You negotiate yourself the best deal possible. Plain and simple. He obviously has done that on this go around. T-shirts, toy and game merchandise deals, event compensation; the list could go on and on. He will make more money than he ever has before. The second fold is much more complicated and its rooted in one thing: pride.
AJ Styles doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone in the world of professional wrestling. Except for to him. He’s never performed for the biggest and most popular wrestling company in the world. To someone with as many accolades and accomplishments as he has, that simple truth says it all. Could he really be the best if didn’t wrestle for the WWE. The answer is no and he knows it. That’s why he signed on the dotted line. Can AJ Styles cut it in the WWE? He won’t be in Kansas any more that is certain. The WWE is not TNA. It’s not Ring Of Honor. It’s not New Japan Pro Wrestling either. The WWE is a different beast. We’re talking a publicly traded billion-dollar company. Major corporate sponsors and initiatives. Vince McMahon. He’ll be navigating a minefield that he’s never been close to seeing before and he will need to adapt. He’ll have to adapt as a professional, a challenge that he’ll ultimately succeed at with flying colors. He’ll also have to adapt his style as a performer. He’s now working for the company that banned the Curb Stomp for crying out loud. Much of the epic AJ Styles move set that we all love will have to be altered.
On the Indy scene it’s easy for him to crush opponents with a stiff array of pile drivers and power bombs. It won’t fly in the WWE. With that said, talent wins out in this business. It will take some time but when he adapts fully, the product and matches he’ll be churning out with the likes of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Bray Wyatt will be on an entirely new level of great.
Why does the WWE want AJ Styles? Another complicated question. After years and years of Styles turning down the WWE, why now do they roll out the red carpet to make sure they get him? For as good as AJ Styles is, he doesn’t have the look that the WWE pines for when scouting talent. He doesn’t have the size they love either. In reality, the mainstream audience that the WWE caters to have no idea who AJ Styles is. Yet they offer him a mega deal to come in? Not only that, but his debut on WWE TV, whether it comes this Sunday at the Royal Rumble or next week on Raw, will be one of epic proportions. We’re not talking about a Tyler Breeze deal here. The buzz surrounding his debut, WWE promoted buzz for that matter, mirrors that of a Goldberg type start. It’s going to be big and it’s going to have the full backing and support of the WWE machine.
I know, I know. It doesn’t add up.
Until you factor in this little thing called the WWE Network. With the rollout of that amazing product, the WWE has become more of national brand than it ever was before. Sure, they performed shows around the world, but the network allows fans and customers from all across the globe to access standard WWE programming on a regular basis. Wrestlers who may not be a household name in the States are household names elsewhere. Such is the case with AJ Styles. His appeal to the WWE isn’t the fact that he can bring fans over from TNA or ROH. His appeal is the worldwide following that he has in places like Europe and Japan. It’s not a coincidence that the WWE signing Styles just happens to be mirrored with the network launching in Japan. It’s business. Very smart business by the WWE.
The truth is, we all win with this move. AJ gets a shot at measuring his true worth with the best and biggest wrestling company in the world. The WWE as a corporation gets to use his appeal to draw in new fans and boost subscriptions for the WWE Network, and the fans get to live the excitement of a brand new star entering their company.
It will be exciting folks. Business is business and that is important. However, when AJ Styles walks through the curtain and steps through the ropes of a WWE ring it will be a monumental moment. Its fresh, its new, and its invigorating. The naysayers will chirp about how AJ won’t be used properly and therefore will flounder? Eye roll time. Look, the WWE isn’t stupid. They aren’t going to pay a performer an inordinate amount of money to have them mope around in the mid-card. They will use him. It makes no sense for either of the parties involved to do anything but feature Styles and position him as a top guy. Will it be a challenge? Of course. The WWE will have quite a few balls in the air with stars like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, John Cena, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar needing to be protected and featured in the main event scene.
It’s their challenge and our reward. Styles vs. Cena. Styles vs. Reigns. Styles vs. Lesnar. Fresh new matches and stories that are waiting to be told.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy. It’s a great time to be fan.
Thanks for reading!