AJ Styles
AJ STYLES: PHENOMENAL ISN'T A NICKNAME — IT'S A STANDARD
There are wrestlers who become great in one company.
There are wrestlers who become legends in one generation.
And then there is AJ Styles.
A wrestler who walked into promotion after promotion...
And left fingerprints everywhere.
TNA.
NJPW.
ROH.
The independent scene.
WWE.
Different countries.
Different locker rooms.
Different championships.
Different opponents.
Same result.
Phenomenal.
AJ Styles is not simply one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation.
He is one of the greatest wrestlers professional wrestling has ever produced.
His body moves like an athlete.
His mind wrestles like a technician.
His strikes land like a fighter.
His timing belongs to a veteran.
His charisma belongs to a superstar.
And his ability to make an opponent look brilliant while simultaneously making himself look extraordinary is the hallmark of a master.
The Phenomenal One didn't arrive fully formed.
He built himself.
One match.
One promotion.
One country.
One championship.
At a time.
THE PHENOMENAL BEGINNING
Before WWE.
Before the blue lights.
Before "Get ready to fly."
Before WrestleMania.
There was a young AJ Styles grinding through the independent wrestling world.
He wrestled wherever opportunities existed.
He learned.
He travelled.
He experimented.
He became better.
The body developed.
The style evolved.
And eventually the wrestling world began whispering the same thing.
This guy...
Is phenomenal.
RING OF HONOR
ROH became one of the crucial laboratories for Styles' development.
The promotion was built around wrestling.
Pure wrestling.
Competition.
Athleticism.
Technical excellence.
And AJ belonged.
He could hang with the technicians.
He could fly with the high-flyers.
He could strike with the fighters.
That versatility would eventually become his greatest weapon.
TNA: THE PHENOMENAL ONE
Then came TNA.
This is where AJ Styles became a star.
Not merely a great wrestler.
A star.
He became synonymous with the company.
The face.
The standard.
The franchise player.
He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
He became TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
X Division Champion.
Tag Team Champion.
Legends/Global Television Champion.
He collected championships across divisions because he could wrestle every style imaginable.
The X Division showcased his athleticism.
The heavyweight championship showcased his ability to carry a main event.
Tag wrestling showcased his chemistry.
AJ Styles became the connective tissue of TNA.
If TNA needed a match...
Call AJ.
If TNA needed a champion...
Call AJ.
If TNA needed someone to make another wrestler look like a million dollars...
Call AJ.
He was indispensable.
THE X DIVISION
The X Division helped define the AJ Styles myth.
The philosophy was simple:
It's not about weight limits. It's about no limits.
Styles embodied it.
Springboards.
450 Splashes.
Moonsaults.
Flying forearms.
Hurricanranas.
Suicide dives.
Every movement looked effortless.
But athleticism alone doesn't make a great wrestler.
AJ had something more important.
Control.
He knew exactly when to explode.
And exactly when to slow down.
THE PHENOMENAL FOREARM
Perhaps no move better represents AJ Styles.
He climbs onto the apron.
Springs upward.
Launches himself toward the opponent.
Then...
BOOM.
Forearm.
The Phenomenal Forearm is spectacular without being unnecessarily complicated.
It is believable.
It is fast.
It can happen suddenly.
And the setup creates anticipation.
Once AJ launches...
The match can be over.
THE STYLES CLASH
Then there is the Styles Clash.
A beautifully vicious finishing manoeuvre.
Styles hooks the opponent's head between his legs.
Controls the body.
Then drives them face-first into the canvas.
The move looks horrifying.
And what makes it even more distinctive is how different it feels from most modern finishers.
There is no elaborate rotation.
No enormous jump.
Just control...
Then impact.
The Styles Clash became one of wrestling's signature finishers because AJ made it his own.
THE CALF CRUSHER
And if AJ couldn't knock you out...
He could make you submit.
The Calf Crusher became one of his most dangerous submissions.
He traps the opponent's leg.
Applies pressure.
And forces the body into an increasingly painful position.
This is where the technician emerges.
The Phenomenal One isn't only an aerial artist.
He's a submission specialist.
JAPAN
Then came the chapter that elevated AJ Styles into another stratosphere.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
Japan demanded something different.
Respect.
Discipline.
Physicality.
Long-form storytelling.
Styles didn't simply adapt.
He conquered.
BULLET CLUB
AJ Styles joined the Bullet Club.
And the faction immediately gained another dimension.
He wasn't merely another member.
He became a leader.
A main-event star.
A dangerous outsider.
The "Too Sweet" became part of the language.
The Bullet Club became one of the most influential factions of the modern era.
And AJ Styles was one of its defining faces.
THE IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
AJ Styles became IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
Twice.
Think about the importance of that.
He wasn't merely a foreign wrestler visiting Japan.
He became one of the country's premier heavyweight champions.
His matches against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Kazuchika Okada.
Tetsuya Naito.
Minoru Suzuki.
And others demonstrated his incredible adaptability.
Styles could wrestle American-style television wrestling.
He could wrestle Japanese strong style.
He could work technical matches.
He could wrestle high-speed contests.
He could wrestle heavyweight main events.
The style didn't matter.
AJ could speak the language.
THE OKADA RIVALRY
AJ Styles versus Kazuchika Okada was elite professional wrestling.
Youth.
Athleticism.
Power.
Timing.
Championship stakes.
Every encounter felt significant.
Okada's Rainmaker against Styles' Phenomenal Forearm.
Two masters.
Two different philosophies.
One ring.
Their rivalry remains among the defining achievements of Styles' New Japan run.
THE UNLIKELY ROAD TO WWE
For years, WWE fans wondered.
Would AJ Styles ever come?
The answer finally arrived.
Royal Rumble 2016.
The countdown.
The music.
The lights.
Then...
AJ STYLES.
The reaction was enormous.
Not because WWE had built him.
Because wrestling fans had already built him.
This wasn't a debut of an unknown superstar.
This was the arrival of a legend.
GET READY TO FLY
Then came the music.
Those opening notes.
The crowd reacts.
AJ appears.
And the arena begins to sing:
"Get ready to fly!"
The entrance is perfect.
It isn't overly complicated.
It is unmistakable.
The lighting.
The graphics.
The gloves.
The jacket.
The pose.
Then AJ raises his arms.
The audience explodes.
His entrance became one of the most recognizable in WWE.
And it carries something special.
It doesn't scream:
Look at this manufactured superstar.
It says:
You already know who I am.
WWE: THE PHENOMENAL ONE
AJ's WWE career immediately became extraordinary.
He entered the company already carrying years of credibility.
And WWE didn't waste it.
He became WWE Champion.
United States Champion.
Intercontinental Champion.
Tag Team Champion.
He became a Grand Slam Champion.
He won the WWE Championship twice.
He headlined major events.
He wrestled at WrestleMania.
He became a cornerstone of SmackDown.
The man who had conquered wrestling outside WWE...
Now conquered WWE itself.
AJ STYLES VS JOHN CENA
Then came one of the greatest rivalries of the modern era.
AJ Styles.
John Cena.
The face of WWE versus the outsider who had conquered everywhere else.
Their first major collision at Money in the Bank 2016 was outstanding.
But the rivalry became even more compelling because of the history it represented.
Cena represented WWE.
Styles represented the wider wrestling world.
Two icons.
Two styles.
Two generations.
And then came SummerSlam.
Styles defeated Cena clean.
The message was enormous.
AJ Styles wasn't visiting WWE.
He had arrived.
THE RIVALRY WITH ROMAN REIGNS
Styles and Roman Reigns produced another excellent chapter.
The athletic technician against the powerhouse.
AJ's speed against Roman's explosiveness.
Their matches worked because Styles understood exactly how to make a larger opponent look dangerous.
Roman could destroy him.
AJ could outmaneuver Roman.
The result was compelling.
THE PHENOMENAL CHAMPION
AJ's WWE Championship reigns demonstrated something important.
He could carry a company.
He wasn't merely a spectacular wrestler.
He was a champion.
Promos.
Main events.
Television.
Long matches.
Short matches.
He could do everything.
And he could make almost anybody look better simply by stepping into the ring with them.
THE MIZ
AJ Styles and The Miz produced one of the most underrated stylistic combinations.
Miz was character.
AJ was wrestling.
Miz could talk for ten minutes.
AJ could tell the story through his body.
Their feud proved AJ could adapt to opponents whose strengths were completely different from his own.
DANIEL BRYAN
Eventually came Daniel Bryan.
And wrestling fans received exactly what they wanted.
Two of the greatest technical wrestlers of their generation.
AJ versus Bryan was never merely about moves.
It was about mastery.
Counter wrestling.
Timing.
Strikes.
Submission attempts.
Escapes.
Reversals.
Every movement had purpose.
They didn't wrestle to demonstrate how many moves they knew.
They wrestled to prove who understood wrestling better.
EDGE
AJ Styles versus Edge represented another dream matchup.
The veteran legend against the modern master.
Two careers built on longevity, reinvention and resilience.
Their WrestleMania rivalry brought another layer to Styles' résumé.
The Phenomenal One had become the veteran.
And suddenly he was wrestling another legend who had returned from retirement.
THE OC
AJ also became the leader of The O.C.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson joined him.
The trio reunited the Bullet Club connection from Japan.
It was a reminder that AJ's influence wasn't confined to individual championships.
He could create groups.
Create stories.
Create stars.
THE VETERAN
Time eventually catches everyone.
AJ Styles' hair became grey.
His body carried more miles.
The athleticism remained extraordinary.
But something changed.
The veteran began appearing.
The master who had nothing left to prove.
And that made every match more meaningful.
Because audiences understood what they were watching.
A legend still doing what he loves.
THE FIGHTING STYLE
What makes AJ Styles special?
Everything.
His aerial game.
His striking.
His technical wrestling.
His counters.
His ring psychology.
His pacing.
His selling.
His facial expressions.
His timing.
His ability to adapt.
He can make a match spectacular without making it chaotic.
He can make a simple sequence feel important.
He can make a championship match feel like a championship match.
That is the art.
THE GOAT ARGUMENT
If you want to argue AJ Styles is one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever...
The evidence is overwhelming.
He succeeded in TNA.
He succeeded in ROH.
He succeeded in Japan.
He succeeded in WWE.
He became a world champion in multiple major promotions.
He became an IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
He became WWE Champion.
He became a Grand Slam Champion.
He became a faction leader.
He became a WrestleMania main-eventer.
And perhaps most importantly...
He was respected everywhere.
That is extraordinarily rare.
THE PHENOMENAL LEGACY
There are wrestlers whose greatness depends upon one promotion.
AJ Styles doesn't need that.
Remove TNA.
He is still a legend.
Remove New Japan.
He is still a legend.
Remove WWE.
He is still a legend.
Remove ROH.
He is still a legend.
Because AJ Styles built his legacy everywhere.
He is proof that great wrestling doesn't belong to one company.
It belongs to the wrestler.
And wherever AJ Styles went...
Great wrestling followed.
His entrance became iconic.
His Phenomenal Forearm became legendary.
The Styles Clash became synonymous with excellence.
The Calf Crusher demonstrated his technical brilliance.
The championships accumulated.
The rivalries multiplied.
The generations changed.
AJ remained.
GET READY TO FLY
Perhaps that is the perfect phrase to leave behind.
Because AJ Styles spent his entire career refusing to remain grounded.
He flew through TNA.
He flew through Japan.
He flew through ROH.
He flew into WWE.
And every time he landed...
Another chapter of wrestling history had been written.
The Phenomenal One isn't merely a nickname.
It is a promise.
A promise that when AJ Styles walks through the curtain...
Something special is coming.
When the music begins...
The arena rises.
When he steps onto the apron...
The crowd knows.
When he launches himself...
Gravity becomes optional.
And when the bell rings...
The argument is over.
Because this isn't simply AJ Styles.
This is the man who proved he could become legendary anywhere.
The Phenomenal One.
The franchise player.
The outsider.
The champion.
The technician.
The high flyer.
The striker.
The veteran.
The GOAT.
AJ STYLES.
And wherever he wrestles...
Get ready to fly.
