• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

AJ Styles Talks Ring of Honor, WWE NXT, New Japan, TNA, Lucha Underground, More

Posted: Dec 24th 2015 By: Donald Wood - BleacherReport.com

Many fans know AJ Styles as one of the main reasons TNA Impact Wrestling found success for so many years, but since his departure, he has become one of the top stars in both Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

At 38 years old, many wrestlers would be coming to the end of their careers. Instead, Styles is more popular than ever and working some of the best matches. For wrestling fans who support Styles, his career resurgence has been amazing to watch.

Styles recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio (quotes courtesy of The Delco Elbow Drop's Joe Arcidiacono) about working as a top star in both Ring of Honor and New Japan, the possibility of working in WWE and NXT, his feelings about TNA, his interest in working with Lucha Underground and much more.

Since his departure from Impact Wrestling, Styles has been dominating the independent wrestling ranks as a major player in both ROH and New Japan. As the former IWGP heavyweight champion, few men in the industry are as revered.

At his age, though, there are questions about how long he can continue performing at such an elite level night after night. Unfortunately, Enuhito.com (h/t Wrestling Inc) revealed that a lower back injury prevented him from competing at recent wrestling events, but Styles reassured fans that he wasn?t going to miss two of the year?s biggest shows:

I?m not going to let it have an impact. I?m going to be wrestling at Final Battle and Wrestle Kingdom and I will find a way. I?m not missing these amazing events for anything. I am going to be there. I have been hurt before, and I just work through it. Everyone has at some point; it?s just what you do as a wrestler. You ignore the pain and when that adrenaline starts running it doesn?t matter what?s bothering you, you will put on the best show you can.

While there is no denying Styles? success over the last two years on the indie scene, many wrestling fans would love to see him follow in the footsteps of former TNA stars Samoa Joe and James Storm and try his hand in WWE?s NXT brand.

When asked about his interest in joining NXT, Styles spoke honestly of his perception of the business and what it would take to convince him a jump to WWE would be worth it:

I?m going to be honest with you guys: the thing that makes wrestling most interesting to me is going to be the business that occurs after the match is over. A lot of people frown on that and say money isn?t everything. Well I say it depends on how much you have saved. My goal when I retire is to not be in a wheel chair or walk with a limp. Wherever I go, I will do my best, work harder than anybody there and that?s just what I do. I only have one gear and if someone is looking for that and I can support my family while doing it, then that is what I will do.

A run with WWE and NXT could spawn some of the biggest dream matches in wrestling, but Styles doing what is best for his family first and foremost is an admirable trait in a business that can be very callous at times.

Styles has seen and done almost everything in his career, and he learned the most during his time with TNA. For years, Styles was the biggest star in Impact Wrestling, but mismanagement and a move away from what made the company successful hurt the product.

When asked about what may have caused the issues that TNA has faced over the last several years, Styles spoke honestly about Impact Wrestling?s problems and what separates his old employer from promotions like ROH:

I think around 2009-10 they were headed in the wrong direction. They were trying to be WWE-Lite and you can?t do that, you have to be different. I think that?s where the biggest mistakes were made and they didn?t trust the guys that got them to the ball game in the first place. They had all the talent they needed and didn?t need to bring in other talent. I think people were misinformed about what they could get out of it. The dial never changed when they brought in this higher talent as they thought it would.

I will say Christian Cage when he came over was such an asset; he was the start of it. Then they brought in Kurt Angle, which was unbelievable, and they could have stopped there and we would have been fine. They have got to be different and turn it up. If WWE can?t do something because they are publicly traded, then there is your advantage. That just doesn?t apply to TNA, that applies to ROH as well. Everybody can do something different than WWE. I will say ROH wrestling is out of this world and nothing can compete with that. TNA they just have to change it and be different.

As a veteran of the business for almost 20 years, Styles has found success everywhere he has gone, but one company he has not worked for is Lucha Underground.

As one of the hottest shows in the wrestling industry, Styles was asked about his interest level in a possible run with the lucha-based promotion, saying, "Again, where ever the business takes me that is where I will go. Lucha Underground does great and crazy stuff over there, and it?s a little bit of what we talked about with doing something different. Where ever the business takes me, that?s where I am going to go.?

There is no doubt that Styles must begin reducing his workload to ensure he lasts a long time in the business, but wrestling fans will always get his best, like he said on Twitter:

I've got one gear....sorry

Regardless of where his career goes in the future, Styles is dominating the industry right now as one of the top stars in both Ring of Honor and New Japan. Fans can?t get enough of his intense in-ring style, and he is still one of the best performers in the business.

Many fans would love to see him involved with an exciting brand like NXT, but the work he is doing with the Bullet Club in Japan and as a championship contender in ROH makes him one of the most respected athletes to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Whatever the future holds, fans should be enjoying every match from Styles because we are witnessing one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time wrestling at an elite level.