Sports
 

AJ Styles

From Ring of Honor Wiki

AJ Styles
Biographical information
Real name:

Allen Jones

Height:

5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)

Weight:

215 lb (98 kg)

Born:

June 2, 1978
Gainesville, Georgia

Wrestling information
Names:

AJ Styles

Billed from:

Gainesville, Georgia

Trained by:

Rick Michaels

Wrestling debut:

1999

Currently:

Total Nonstop Action

Ring of Honor
Debut:

Night of Appreciation
April 27, 2002

Departure:

Time to Man Up
August 4, 2006

Full Impact Pro
Debut:

Emergence: Part One
September 24, 2004

No. of apperances:

1

SHIMMER Women Athletes
Deubt:

N/A

Allen Lloyd Jones (born June 2, 1978 in Gainesville, Georgia) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, AJ Styles. A mainstay in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he's competed during their inseption, Styles was a major influence in Ring of Honor during their first two years. Forced to leave ROH in the wake of the Rob Feinstein controversy in 2004, Styles returned sixteen months later in the summer of 2005, wrestling for ROH for one more year before leaving in 2006.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

AJ Styles was initially trained by Rick Michaels of NWA Wildside, and made his professional wrestling debut on February 15, 1999. Styles would compete for NWA Wildside for two years, before being signed by World Championship Wrestling. His time in WCW would be short lived as WCW was bought by the World Wrestling Federation in March 2001, and Styles, along with several other wrestlers, was released from his contract. Styles would return to NWA Wildside, where he would compete until 2005.

[edit] Ring of Honor

[edit] 2002 – 2004

Styles debuted in Ring of Honor at their third show, Night of Appreciation, on April 27, 2002.[1] He quickly became a main event wrestler, competing against Low Ki for ROH Championship at Honor Invades Boston.[2] After failing to win the title, he became the first holder of the "Number One Contender's Trophy", which was viewed as a second title at the time.[3] At the One Year Anniversary Show in February 2003, Styles competed against Low Ki and Paul London in a three-way match, with the winner receiving a shot at the ROH Championship later that night. London won the match but failed to defeat Xavier for the championship. After the show, Styles and London agreed to form a tag team and compete for the ROH Tag Team Championship.

Set to compete for the number one contendership for the titles at the following show, London was unable to attend after having emergency sinus surgery the day before. Instead, Styles competed by himself and defeated The Backseat Boyz, The SAT and The Carnage Crew to receive a title shot. He chose The Amazing Red as his partner, and the two defeated The Prophecy (Christopher Daniels and Xavier) for the championship in the show’s main event.[4] When London returned, he was upset when Styles chose to remain a team with Red instead of forming one with him. The two wrestled against each other at Night of the Grudges, with the match ending in a draw.[5] Styles and Red, as the ROH Tag Team Champions, defeated the Briscoe Brothers on three separate occasions. However, the duo were not so lucky against The Prophecy. At Wrath of the Racket, Jim Cornette made his first appearance in ROH and aligned himself with Christopher Daniels and Dan Maff. During intermission, he convinced the two to attack Amazing Red, who was already suffering from a knee injury, while he was signing autographs. With Red unable to compete, Styles chose Maff's former trainer, Homicide, as his partner, and the two defeated The Prophecy.[6] However, with Red, his regular tag team partner, sidelined with an injury, Styles would have to vacate the title.

After his reign as one half of the ROH Tag Team Champions, Styles took on fellow Georgia wrestler Jimmy Rave as his protégé. While coaching Rave, who was competing in the "Field of Honor" tournament, Styles attempted to become the ROH World Champion. He defeated Bryan Danielson at Main Event Spectacles to become the number one contender for the title. At War of the Wire, Styles challenged Samoa Joe for the title, but was once again unable to win it.[7] ROH gold did not remain out of Styles' hands for long. At the Second Anniversary Show, he competed in a one night tournament to become the first Pure Wrestling Champion. He defeated his protégé Jimmy Rave in the first round, Matt Stryker in the second, and CM Punk in the finals to become the first champion.[8] His title reign, however, was short lived. Not long after the Second Anniversary Show, Ring of Honor owner Rob Feinstein was caught by an internet sting trying to solicit sex from a minor,[9] which caused tensions between ROH and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where Styles was under contract. Despite this, Styles returned to ROH at the following show, At Our Best, and defeated CM Punk in a rematch with Ricky Steamboat as the guest referee.[10] The match turned out to be Styles final match in ROH for 2004, as TNA withdrew all their contracted wrestlers from ROH.[11] Styles left the company and vacated the Pure Wrestling Championship.

[edit] 2005 – 2006

In the summer of 2004, Styles' protégé Jimmy Rave was "fired" by Ring of Honor due to not winning any matches. He was brought back to the company by Prince Nana and became known as "The Crown Jewel of The Embassy". He began to use the Rave Clash (better known as the "Styles Clash") as a finisher, claiming AJ stole it from him. Eventually, Styles had enough and returned to Ring of Honor for one night only, at the Third Anniversary Celebration: Part Two, to wrestle Rave. Styles was unsuccessful in defeating Rave, who won after he sprayed air freshener in Styles’ eyes.[12]

Several months later, Styles returned to wrestling for Ring of Honor full time. He made his return at Death before Dishonor III defeating fellow TNA wrestler Petey Williams, who was brought in by Prince Nana to face Styles instead of having Jimmy Rave fight him.[13] Styles got a match, and a win, against Rave at the following show. However, Rave got the last laugh when, after losing, he put a plastic bag over Styles and attempted to suffocate him.[14]

During his feud with Jimmy Rave and The Embassy, Styles formed an alliance with Generation Next, who were also feuding with The Embassy due to their former leader Alex Shelley joining them. Styles first defeated Generation Next member Roderick Strong at Fate of an Angel on July 16. The following show, Styles faced, and lost to, Jimmy Rave in a Street Fight. Following the match, Styles was attacked by The Embassy, with Rave hitting the Rave Clash on him. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong attempted to come to his aid, but they were fought off.

Styles took a night off from his feud with The Embassy, when he was chosen by Ring of Honor to face IMA, who was visiting from Dragon Gate in Japan, at Dragon Gate Invasion. However, Styles was unsuccessful in defeating him.[15] The following show, Glory by Honor IV, Styles once again faced of against Jimmy Rave, with this match having a special stipulation: the loser could no longer use the Rave/Styles Clash in Ring of Honor. With Mick Foley in his corner, Styles hit Rave with the Styles Clash off of the second rope, through a table to win the match.[16]

Styles then took a short break from ROH before returning at This Means War in late October. He defeated Generation Next leader Austin Aries, who was attacked by The Embassy following the show. The following show, Aries defeated the former Generation Next leader Alex Shelley. Following the match, he was attacked by The Embassy, until Generation Next member Matt Sydal and AJ Styles came to his aid. Later that night, Styles and Sydal defeated Embassy members Jimmy Rave and Abyss in a tag match. At Vendetta, Styles had his final match against The Embassy when he, along with Austin Aries, Jack Evans and Matt Sydal were defeated by Rave, Shelley, Abyss and Prince Nana in an eight–man tag match.[17]

Following his feud with The Embassy, AJ Styles set his sights on winning a Ring of Honor title. At A Night of Tribute, Styles faced Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal in a three–way match, with the winner receiving a shot at the ROH World Championship later that night. Daniels won the match, but was unable to defeat Bryan Danielson for the title later that night. On the first show of 2006, Styles wrestled and defeated Matt Sydal. Following the match, the two agreed to form a tag team and challenge for the ROH Tag Team Championship, which were held by Sydal’s Generation Next teammates, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. Before receiving a shot at the tag team title, Styles received a shot at the ROH World Championship when he was handpicked by Danielson. Despite having won both of his previous encounters against Danielson in ROH, Styles was unable to defeat him for the title.[18] At the Fourth Anniversary Show, Styles and Sydal received their shot at the ROH Tag Team Championships, but were unable to defeat the champions.[19] Following the match, Aries and Strong were attacked by the Briscoe Brothers, who had made their return to ROH for the first time since 2004. Styles and Sydal came to their aid, and chased away the Briscoes. Styles and Sydal continued to team together and, at Dragon Gate Challenge in late March, the two defeated Dragon Kid and Genki Horiguchi, members of the Do FIXER stable in Dragon Gate. The following night, the two defeated the ROH Tag Team Champions in a non–title match. However, Styles was not a successful in by himself the next night, when he was pinned by Samoa Joe in a Four Corner Survival match that also included Christopher Daniels and Jimmy Yang.

Styles then appeared less and less in Ring of Honor. After a four month absence, Styles returned at Death before Dishonor IV, defeating ROH up-and-comer Davey Richards. Styles returned to Ring of Honor at Time to Man Up, losing to Samoa Joe.[20] In a pre-taped promo, Styles said he would be taking several months off from Ring of Honor following the match. However, throughout the match ROH commentators continually referred to it as his final match and even played a special tribute to him following the match.[21] Since then, AJ Styles has not returned to Ring of Honor.

[edit] Full Impact Pro

AJ Styles wrestled one match for Full Impact Pro, wrestling Homicide in the opening round of the Emergence tournament to crown the first FIP Heavyweight Championship.

[edit] Mainstream sucess

AJ Styles has been competing for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) since their debut show in May 2002. During his tenure in TNA, Styles has won numerous titles, including the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Tag Team Championship, and was named "Mr. TNA" by the fans three years in a row. A "pioner of TNA's X Division", Styles was the first TNA X Division Champion, and has held the title a record six times.


[edit] In wrestling

  • Finishing and signature moves
    • Styles Clash (Belly to back inverted mat slam)
    • Super Styles Clash (Second rope belly to back inverted mat slam)
    • Spiral Tap (Somersault corkscrew leg drop or somersault corkscrew senton)
    • Hangman's Neckbreaker (Vertical suplex dropped into a neckbreaker slam)
    • Pelé Kick (Backflip kick)
    • Rack Bomb (Torture rack powerbomb)
    • Shooting Styles Press (Springboard shooting star plancha)
    • Over the top rope no-handed plancha
    • Springboard backflip to a standing opponent, catching them in an inverted DDT
    • Springboard 450° splash
    • Inverted sitout side powerslam
    • Backbreaker followed into a gutbuster
    • Belly to back brainbuster
    • Belly to back wheelbarrow facebuster
    • Springboard forearm strike
    • Muta lock
    • German suplex
    • Enzuigiri
    • Dropkick
    • Kip-up frankensteiner
    • Spinebuster
    • Tornado DDT
  • Nicknames
    • The Phenomenal
  • Theme Music
    • "Touched" – Vast
    • "Wherever I May Roam" – Metallica
    • "Praise" – Sevendust
    • "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)" – AC/DC
    • "Also Sprach Zarathustra" – The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
    • "I Am (Phenomenal Remix)" – Dale Oliver

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

Pure Wrestling Champion AJ Styles
NWA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles
TNA X Division Champion AJ Styles
  • All Access Wrestling
    • AAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Ballpark Brawl
    • Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Christian Wrestling Federation | Christian Wrestling Entertainment
    • CWE Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • Extreme Texas Wrestling
    • ETW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Independent Professional Wrestling
    • IPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
    • IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
    • Ted Petty Invitational winner (2004)
  • International Wrestling Cartel
    • IWC Super Indies Championship (2 times)
  • Independent Wrestling Revolution
    • IWR King Of The Indies Championship (1 time)
  • Maximum Pro Wrestling
    • Max-Pro Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
  • Midwest Pro Wrestling
    • MPW Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • New Korea Pro-Wrestling Association
    • NKPWA Jr. Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Wildside
    • NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
    • NWA Wildside Television Championship (3 times)
  • Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
    • PWG Championship (1 time)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Ranked #7 in the PWI 500 for 2005
    • Tag Team of the Year award (2006) – with Christopher Daniels
  • World Wrestling All-Stars
    • WWA International Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

1Even though he won the championship, the win and reign aren't officially recognized by Ring of Honor due to Total Nonstop Action's temporary split with ROH following the Rob Feinstein controversy.

[edit] Media

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2002-04-27). “Low Ki defeated AJ Styles in a hard hitting contest”
  2. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2002-08-24). “Low Ki defeated AJ Styles to retain the ROH World Title”
  3. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2002-11-09). “AJ Styles defeated American Dragon to become the first ROH Number One Contender”
  4. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2003-03-13). “AJ Styles & Amazing Red defeated Christopher Daniels & Xavier to win the ROH Tag Team Titles”
  5. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2003-06-14). “AJ Styles vs. Paul London ended in a draw when both men pinned each other simultaneously”
  6. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2003-08-09). “AJ Styles & Homicide defeated The Prophecy (Christopher Daniels & Dan Maff) to retain the ROH Tag Team Titles”
  7. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2003-11-29). “Samoa Joe defeated AJ Styles to retain the ROH World Title”
  8. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2004-02-14). “Pure Wrestling Tournament (Finals): A.J. Styles defeated C.M. Punk”
  9. ↑ Crisis rocks ROH (2004-03-04). “A noted wrestling personality in Philadelphia, Feinstein was allegedly the target of a media sting focusing on adults who cruise Internet chat rooms attempting to contact underage individuals for sexual encounters”
  10. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2004-03-13). “A.J. Styles, defeated C.M. Punk to retain the Pure Wrestling Title with Ricky Steamboat as the guest referee”
  11. ↑ 2004 a year of triumph for Ring of Honor (2005-02-16). “The company took another setback when TNA pulled their contracted talent off of all ROH shows”
  12. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2005-02-25). “Jimmy Rave defeated AJ Styles”
  13. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2005-06-18). “A.J. Styles defeated Petey Williams”
  14. ↑ Tape review: ROH, “Sign of Dishonor,” July 8, 2005 (2005-09-08). “After the match, Rave tried to suffocate Styles with a plastic bag”
  15. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2005-08-27). “CIMA defeated AJ Styles”
  16. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2005-09-17). “AJ Styles beat Jimmy Rave in the Styles Clash Vs. Rave Clash match to retain the right to his trademark maneuver”
  17. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2005-11-05). “Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley, Abyss & Prince Nana beat Austin Aries, AJ Styles, Jack Evans & Matt Sydal”
  18. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2006-01-28). “Bryan Danielson defeated AJ Styles to retain the ROH World Title”
  19. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2006-02-25). “Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defeated AJ Styles & Matt Sydal to retain the ROH Tag Team Titles”
  20. ↑ Ring of Honor Official results (2006-08-04). “Samoa Joe beat AJ Styles”
  21. ↑ ROH – Time to Man Up DVD Review (2006-11-01). “Styles said in his promo that he’d be back in a few months but commentators make it pretty clear that this is his lat match in ROH for the foreseeable future”
  22. ↑ Ring of Honor title history

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://ringofhonor.wikia.com/wiki/AJ_Styles"