Styles Looks Forward To A Phenomenal Future

AJ Styles is one of the biggest stars of his generation not to have performed in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and has been with TNA (Total Nonstop Action) since day one.

Since starting out with TNA nearly 10 years ago on June 19th 2002, Styles has become known for his high-octane performances and has been one of the pioneers of TNA’s X-Division with his high-flying, risk taking moves.

The 33-year-old grappler has had a number of five star matches with the likes of; Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle, ‘The Icon’ Sting, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels.

Styles is set to take on the latter at the X-Division pay-per-view Destination X tonight. Ahead of the match Sportsvibe.co.uk caught up with Styles for an exclusive chat.

Thank you talking to us today AJ, first things first, with the Destination X PPV being shown here in the UK tonight what can fans expect?

If you want to see the best wrestling action and the best wrestlers perform then tune in. That’s the bottom line. It’s a great pay-per-view event and is something that wrestling fans should be very excited about.

For this PPV, TNA have brought back the six-sided ring. What was it like being back in the six-sided ring for you?

It was different, we were the first American promotion to use the six-sided ring, and it is what made TNA different to every other wrestling company out there. We used that ring for a good six years before (Hulk) Hogan and (Eric) Bishoff came in and introduced the traditional four-sided ring. At the PPV it was good to step back in the six-sided ring but for a minute I forgot what it was like.

And what about your opponent at Destination X, you and Daniels have had so many great matches in the past, how does this rank up there?

Chris (Daniels) and I are best friends in and outside of wrestling. We have had lots of great matches in the past where we have been against each other, but also when we have been on the same team. I love working with him, to get in the ring with someone you know so well and to put on a great match, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Before the PPV, the idea of a triple-threat was teased between you, Daniels and Samoa Joe. Again you three have been involved in great triple-threat matches in the past, is this something we will see again in the future?  

I would definitely say that is something you will be seeing in the future; there is no doubt about it. There is so much history between the three of us; we would be fools not to do it again.

You are seen as the pioneer of the X-Division and even the MVP (Most Valuable Player) in TNA. What do you make of some of the new X-Division talent?

I have known some of these guys for a while now, and you can always expect great matches. These guys aren’t young kids that don’t know what to do in there. They all have experience and know what to do to take it to the next level.

How did you first get into wrestling and who were the wrestlers you looked up to when you were growing up?

I didn’t really look up to many wrestlers at all and I didn’t even watch much wrestling. The reason I got into wrestling was because I began to watch it when it was starting to get hot and I enjoyed it.

I had a couple of buddies that were big fans and said if they found a wrestling school I would go with them. They found a place not to far from my house so I had to make good on my promise and little did I know a couple of years later I would be here talking to you, talking wrestling and being with a company for nine years, it’s pretty crazy.

You have had many stand out matches in the past, are there any dream matches you would like to have with guys in either TNA or other companies?

There are a couple of guys from outside of TNA that I would love to get in the ring with, but whether or not I will ever get that opportunity remains to been seen. TNA is where I work and I love where I work. I am proud of what I do, and they will probably say the same thing about where they’re at.

The only guy I haven’t wrestled in TNA is the new British wrestler Mark Haskins, and he looks like another great Brit you guys can be proud of.

TNA will be taking episodes of flagship show IMPACT! on the road to some big arenas again in a couple of weeks in the States, is this step in the right direction for the company?

Absolutely, there is no question about it. We have experienced it before with the television show being on the road and it was a great success, so it was only a matter of time before we got back on the road.

It’s hard to tell if we will fully leave the Impact Zone in Orlando. All over the world the economy is bad and we’ve got to make sure people are still showing up to our shows. The worst thing about a wrestling company growing is that it grows too fast and we don’t want to do that. We want to take our time and do it slow, as we’ve been doing, and I think that’s our best bet.

It is however only a matter of time before we’re on the road constantly with our television show. We are on the road for our house shows, but it will be great to do that week-in and week-out with IMPACT! I would also like to see us every Thursday night live for IMPACT! and definitely think that is feasible, but it’s all a timing issue and when that will happen is hard to tell.

Continuing on from there, you will be coming over for the fourth Maximum Impact tour in the UK in January. Do you think it will be long before we see a UK episode of IMPACT! or even a UK PPV filmed over here?

If it were up to AJ Styles we would already be doing PPVs over there, so I think that is a must. The fans over in the UK are second to none and each time we have come over the UK we get record attendances and sell-out crowds.

Destination X is on Challenge TONIGHT at 10pm featuring the return of the six-sided ring and Ultimate X. Tune in to Challenge TV from 10pm on FREEview 46, Sky 125 and Virgin Media 139

Check out the promo for AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels here:

Connect with Sportsvibe by joining our social media network. Join the debate to get your voice heard and stay informed with up-to-the-minute news, videos, competitions and articles from the world of sport.

Follow us on Twitter: @sportsvibe_says and @sportsvibe

Follow us on Facebook: Sportsvibe Says