Why TNA Veteran Is “Not Cool” With AJ Styles Making Return
AJ Styles made his return to TNA at Slammiversary, but not everybody is welcoming the legend back with open arms.
At TNA Slammiversary in Long Island, New York, current WWE superstar and TNA legend AJ Styles made his long-awaited return to the company more than a decade after leaving the promotion.
Since leaving TNA, Styles has gone on to achieve greater success, including becoming an IWGP World Champion and a WWE Champion. However, his roots are in TNA.
When TNA launched in the summer of 2002, he was featured prominently as a rising star in the company and went on to become one of the faces of the TNA brand over the next decade. Styles will be in the TNA Hall of Fame someday, just like he’ll be in the WWE Hall of Fame as well.
During his appearance at Slammiversary, Styles got a massive ovation from the fans while talking about what TNA means to him. Styles did his promo moments after Leon Slater became the youngest X-Division Champion in TNA history at 20 years old. There was no angle for Styles or any physicality, but it was a way for him to show respect to a promotion that he loved.
TNA Welcoming AJ Styles Made Frankie Kazarian Feel Like He Was Pushed Aside
In an interview on Busted Open Radio, veteran TNA wrestler Frankie Kazarian, who was in TNA for many years while AJ Styles was there, explained why he felt slighted following AJ’s return “home” to the company.
“I’ll never downplay what AJ did for this place. I was there for it all. I saw him work harder than anybody here. Yes, he’s incredibly talented, one of the best ever to do it, top five in my book. I’ll never downplay his contributions, again, because I saw it, I lived it. I saw what he had to go through, and it’s universally accepted that he is the face that built this place.
However, he’s gone. He’s not here. I still am, and I am carrying that torch. Besides myself and Eric Young, there’s no other guys that have been here since day one. So in a way, I feel like if we’re going to celebrate AJ like that, but the guy that’s still here carrying this place is just going to be pushed aside, I’m not cool with that.”
It’s possible that Kazarian, who is a heel in TNA, was speaking in character while criticizing AJ Styles, but it’s not known if it will lead to a match or if those are his true feelings.
As for his future, AJ Styles will challenge Dominik Mysterio for the WWE Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam on August 2nd or 3rd, so it will be a chance for the veteran Styles to add some more gold to his impressive resume.