AJ Styles is potentially returning to TNA Wrestling, the promotion where he first established himself as one of the most “phenomenal” wrestlers ever. At the end of Thursday’s episode of Impact, a vignette aired showcasing old footage of the former TNA World Champion, ending with a shot of his ring gear.
The rumored appearance has been in the works for quite some time now, as confirmed by Sports Illustrated after an initial report by Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp. Company president Carlos Silva had stoked initial fervor by announcing on Monday that extra seats had been added at the UBS Arena, promising a “phenomenal” event.
Thus emerge the questions: what will Styles do at the event? Most importantly, will it lead to anything significant? Here is a potential scenario of how it will unfold.
To understand how this “phenomenal” return became possible, one must first understand the history between TNA and Styles’ current employer WWE.
From its inception in 2002, TNA had touted itself as a future challenger to WWE’s wrestling monopoly. While it did contain ex-WWE and WCW castoffs like Christian (Cage), Kurt Angle, and Jeff Jarrett, there were also some homegrown prospects, most notably including Styles and Samoa Joe.
Unfortunately, while the in-ring quality was great (especially among the women when compared to WWE’s much-maligned Divas era), financial instability prevented TNA from becoming a true competitor. The situation became especially dire during the Dixie Carter era, which nearly bankrupted the promotion until Anthem bought it in 2017.
In the years since, TNA was upstaged by All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which immediately positioned itself as WWE’s true rival, leading to a gradual shift in business philosophy. In 2021 TNA and AEW began a talent-sharing partnership that lasted only a few months.
Undeterred, TNA first teased a WWE partnership by sending then-Knockouts Champion Mickie James to the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Two years later, Jordynne Grace did the same, then parlayed it into recurring appearances on NXT.
Finally, earlier this year, TNA and WWE became talent-sharing partners. Under this historic agreement, Joe Hendry competed in the Men’s Royal Rumble match, then delivered a standout performance at WrestleMania 41 against Randy Orton. Meanwhile, NXT uber-prospect Trick Williams made history by becoming the first WWE-contracted wrestler to win the TNA World Championship.
This leads back to Styles. At Slammiversary, Mike Santana is expected to win the TNA World Championship, bringing it back home after nearly two months. The exact nature of Styles’ return has not been determined yet, but one can surmise that it will be a confrontation with the new champion.
The endgame does not have to be immediate – right now, Styles is heading towards an Intercontinental Championship match against Dominik Mysterio at SummerSlam. That match was supposed to happen at Night of Champions late last month before a rib injury scuppered it.
Once that program ends with Styles losing, he can make sporadic appearances at his old home, watching Santana’s matches. Then it can all culminate at Bound for Glory in a main-event clash that Santana eventually wins to solidify himself as TNA’s new face.
Despite winning multiple titles and giving his all in every angle and match, Styles had always felt undervalued by the Carter regime, contributing to his departure in 2014. It was especially prevalent in the Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff era, which saw him largely sidelined for the likes of X-Pac, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, and the late Scott Hall.
Over a decade since then, however, Silva has been emphasizing collaboration rather than competition, which has led Styles to seemingly soften his stance on his former employer. With the TNA-WWE partnership now officially a thing, the homecoming is about to become a reality…
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