10 Reasons You Should Love: AJ Styles

The Stats:

5 ft, 11 in
215 lbs
Age 32

Current TNA Television Champion

TNA World Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)
NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 Times)
TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 Time w/ Tomko)
NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 Time w/ Jerry Lynn, 1 Time w/ Abyss, 2 Times w/ Christopher Daniels)
TNA Legends/Global/TV Championship (2 Times)
TNA X Division Championship (6 Times)
TNA Triple Crown Champion (4 Times, First)
TNA Grand Slam Champion (2 Times, First, Only)
IWA-MS World Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)
NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship (1 Time)
ROH Pure Championship (1 Time)
ROH Tag Team Championship (1 Time w/ Amazing Red)
"Mr. TNA" Award Winner (2003-2005)
TNA "Match of the Year Award Winner (2006 w/ Christopher Daniels, Homicide, Hernandez)
TNA "Match of the Year" Award Winner (2009 w/Sting)
TNA "Tag Team of the Year" (2006 w/ Christopher Daniels)
Wrestling Observer "Best Wrestling Maneuver" (2003, Styles Clash)
Wrestling Observer "Best Flying Wrestler" (2005)
Wrestling Observer 5 Star Match (2005 w/ Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels)
PWI Number 1 in PWI 500 (2010)
PWI Tag Team of the Year (2006 w/ Christopher Daniels)

AJ Styles, despite his many accomplishments, and fan love, has been vastly underrated by fans of wrestling that aren't fans of TNA. Why? I believe that some people that don't know what they're talking about, have pigeon-holed Styles as a "high-flier" or as a guy who can't cut a promo. Hell, people might just hate him because he works for TNA, I don't know, but I have to make one, unequivocal statement before I begin, AJ Styles is the best all around wrestler in the world today.

Now, onto the list.

1) AJ Styles isn't just a high-flier.

Now, granted, he may be best known throughout the world for his high-flying antics, and it is true that he can fly around the ring better than anyone else on the planet right now, but he's developed his game into much more than that. What other man could have sick brawls with guys like Abyss, and Rhino, and great technical, story-driven matches with Kurt Angle, and astonishing Ultimate X Matches with Chris Sabin? Any situation where you need a guy who can have a great match, no matter who the opponent is, you can easily plug AJ Styles in and watch him go.

2) He's a top 15 interview right now.

That's right, if you rank the best promo guys in the world at this moment, you'd have to put AJ in the top 15 on that list. I know this has been a chink in his armor in the past, but with the help of guys like Ric Flair and Mick Foley, and even Kurt Angle, AJ Styles has blossomed into a damn good promo man. Listen to his rants against Tommy Dreamer for example. His cocky, narcissistic, promos about how TNA is "the House that AJ Styles built." Are great, almost too much so. He's convincing the fans in the Impact Zone that he should be able to do anything he wants, and that Tommy Dreamer, one of the most beloved wrestler of this era, is wrong for trying to stop him.

3) He makes wrestling look good.

When people watch AJ Styles, they aren't seeing the typical cartoonish caricature of pro wrestling, they're seeing a guy with more athleticism in his little finger than many professional athletes today. That's a good thing. With him throwing crisp dropkicks and perfect 450's, he lends credibility to everyone he wrestles.

4) He's never injured

Since joining TNA in 2002, AJ Styles has never missed a PPV due to injury. That's eight full cycles of the earth without getting hurt. You can compare him to Chris Jericho in that respect, as both are so perfect in the ring in terms of safety, that they never get hurt. Although you can argue, and I would agree, that there has to be a certain degree of luck in order to accomplish that, you can't deny that conditioning has to play a factor as well.

5) He has the Ric Flair Seal of Approval

Ric Flair has said on more the one occasion, that he thinks Kurt Angle and AJ Styles are the two best wrestlers in the world today. He's mentored Styles, and worked harder that I've ever seen any 'legend' work to get someone else over, not that Styles needs it. He's worked with Styles on his pacing, his promo work, his gimmick, and probably 1000 other things in order to make him even better, and it seems to be working. I've said in the past that I would put Flair on someone else that needs the rub more than AJ, but that fact that Flair feels this strongly about AJ Styles, means a lot in my mind.

6) The Inbred-er Impact Zone loves him

Say what you want about the Impact Zone, but considering their favorite wrestler seem to be Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Mr. Anderson, and Desmond Wolfe, they can't be all bad. They've loved AJ Styles since day one in Orlando, and before that, the fans in Nashville loved him too.

7) He elevates everyone he wrestles

Think about it, who made Christopher Daniels a star? It sure as hell wasn't Christopher Daniels. It was AJ Styles. Styles and Daniels had great matches together, and no doubt Daniels more than held his own in those matches, but he never got over until he was paired with Styles in a tag team, and after they split, he never got over again, until he left for a year and returned to...team with Styles. Think about Samoa Joe, a guy who came into TNA and got popular right away, during his first big feud, which just happened to be against... you guessed it, AJ Styles. Styles enhanced the TNA careers of Christian and Kurt Angle by simply playing second fiddle to them and backing them up. The guy can make anything he's in better, and the fans react to everything he does, and with good reason.

8) He's the perfect mix of flippy and realism

As in, he can wow you with his awesome top rope moves and flips around the ring, but he can also have a match without doing any of those things, and make it great. That's something that a more one-dimensional guy like Evan Bourne is missing. Styles has the size to look credible, even when he's doing some moves that aren't.

9) He's got the look

AJ Styles LOOKS like a main eventer, and that's an achievement considering the fact that's he's at least a few inches shorter than every other main eventer in TNA. He's a good looking, chiseled guy who can tell a story with just his facial expressions alone. He's got natural charisma, like Jeff Hardy. What I mean by that, is that although Jeff Hardy can't cut a promo to save his life, he doesn't need to, because he connects with the fans just by coming to the ring. AJ has that same quality, although he actually can cut a promo, too.

10) He's Phenomenal

That's right, it's not just a moniker. I can't sit here and think of one thing that AJ Styles doesn't do well. He can fly, brawl, wrestle, cut a promo, connect with fans, elevate other workers, he can do it all, and not just well, he can do it all better than anyone in the business. Name someone else who looks as crisp and perfect in the ring as him. Name someone who gives as much effort as he does every time they wrestle. AJ Styles is truly Phenomenal, and if you needed 10 reasons to figure that out, you just haven't been paying attention.