TNA News: Former TNA Star AJ Styles Blames Dixie Carter For His Departure From The Company
Former TNA Wrestler AJ Styles could be one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch in the entire world. Most who have seen him would say that he is one of the greatest of all time. Perhaps he could be the best a WWE mark has never heard of. The interesting part about AJ is that he was almost a WWE Superstar years ago, but things took another turn and he went to TNA Wrestling. The rest was mere history.
AJ left TNA late last year over contract disputes. Many wondered why TNA would ever come close to letting AJ go. Most would think that TNA would offer him something respectable due to his history with the company. AJ Styles has been the cornerstone of TNA for a decade, and now TNA is willing to let him go? In favor of who?
In an interview with The Whig, AJ explains some of the things we have wanted to know. Why is he not with WWE and after all the history in TNA, who was responsible for letting him go?
Regarding WWE not signing him, AJ claims:
“The only contact I had was Johnny Ace telling me that they were not picking up my contract. It was depressing there for a little bit, but it was one of those things where (I said) ‘Alright, I’m going to go back to the indies and I’m going to find a way to make a name for myself.”
Regarding what happened toward the end of his TNA run and who let him go, Styles said “Ultimately, Dixie’s the head honcho there. If you’re the head honcho of any business, you’ve got to take responsibility for the good things and the bad things. You’ve got to hire the right people. If you’re not smart enough to make this decision, or make the right decision, then you hire someone who’s smarter than you to make that decision for you.”
Clearly TNA letting AJ go had to be a Dixie Carter decision. One that made no sense if you know the situation. Not only did TNA think they could sign AJ for less than his previous deal, but they put the TNA World Title on him. They then allowed him to wrestle with the title in various companies. It was even documented on TV. They offered him a live mic and showed everything he said on TV. Most of what he was saying was true to heart regarding his TNA situation.
So TNA gave him the World Title, he was the man in the company. He is the cornerstone of TNA. Yet TNA could not offer him even something that matched his last contract? That seems more than crazy. After AJ, it seemed like the door was constantly revolving. Sting, Kaz, Bully Ray, Chris Sabin, Chris Daniels, and others left TNA in the last year.
It seemed that AJ took a shot at TNA President Dixie Carter regarding his release, and he has every right, according to the many TNA fans who are saddened to see him go. She has let most of the TNA originals go and many of the others may end up out the door as well. Not knowing TNA’s future, it will also really depend on what happens come 2015 to know if anyone has a job, much less a long-term, lucrative TNA contract.
[IMG Credits: Thesun.co.uk, IGN.com]
