He feels that in Dixie Carter’s eyes, Kurt Angle or Sting was the guy.
For 12 years of his pro wrestling career, A.J. Styles was with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Styles is a multi-time Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion in the company.
He was asked about his time in IMPACT while on Mark Andrews’ My Love Letter to Wrestling podcast. Styles feels that he was never viewed as ‘the guy’. He stated that IMPACT’s guy(s) was a former WWE talent that came in. He would then go on to say the ‘Dixie Carters of the world’ did not view him in that way but they viewed Kurt Angle and Sting in that light.
Well I think ‘the guy’ for IMPACT is what most people saw me but I wasn’t the guy to them. I was just A.J. Styles who had been here but their guy was more of a guy who had been from WWE. I think that’s who they looked to-to do pretty much everything. I don’t think I was ever that guy for them, at least in their eyes. I think in the fans’ eyes, they go, that’s our guy. But as far as the Dixie Carters of the world, they were like, ah, it’s more Kurt (Angle) or Sting. It’s not A.J., you know?
At the 2022 Slammiversary pay-per-view, Styles sent in a video message to congratulate IMPACT on their 20 years.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit My Love Letter to Wrestling with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcription.
