Tuesdays at TNA: Will AJ Styles Fly Again?

Welcome back to Tuesdays at TNA, where we discuss the hottest topics in all things happening in Dixieland!

"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles has been a mainstay in TNA since its inception. He went from being a novelty act to TNA's first Grand Slam champion, winning the X-Division, Tag Team Titles, Legends Championship, and the TNA World Heavyweight Title. 

Moreover, he has thrilled fans across the globe with his ability to mix grappling on the ground while assaulting opponents through the air.

Styles has headlined TNA's signature event, "Bound for Glory," on numerous occasions, and is credited with being in TNA's greatest match ever in September 2005 when he fought fellow X-Division pioneers Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels. 

Styles was also known for his feud with the Latin American Exchange in 2006 along with Daniels for the TNA World Tag Team Titles.

In spite of all of his accomplishments, it seems as if lately The Phenomenal One has hit a major lag in his TNA career. Earlier this year, he was being mentored by 16-time World Champion Ric Flair. It seemed like he would be in for a career renaissance, even while he had the World Championship in his possession.

Alas, that was not to be the case, as he lost the championship cleanly to Rob Van Dam on a May episode of Impact and has yet to gain it back. 

In addition, he has endured such a losing streak that he has lost the favor of Flair as The Nature Boy has decided to take on another young high-flying star in Kazarian in recent weeks. Rumors were circulation that Styles would be the headliner in Flair's new Fortune stable, but it seems plans have changed.

The question at hand is: where does Styles go from here? He lost to Samoa Joe on Thursday's Impact in a one-sided affair which was light years away from the matches they are accustomed to having.

Also, he is battling Kazarian in a grudge match which could determine if Styles is going to remain in Flair's good graces.

Now, we've been through this before with Styles. Remember his days as "Prince AJ" when he was choosing to align himself with Kurt Angle or Christian Cage? The most memorable thing about that was him ending up in a turkey suit. However, this may be an even bigger conundrum that he is in right now.

One of the biggest questions facing Styles was how would he be booked during the new Hogan-Bischoff regime. I was concerned that he would be quickly pushed down the card in favor of some more established stars who had name value to the casual fan. Sure enough, that has been the case as he hasn't beaten a top level star since losing the title.

However, I do believe that his current battle with Kazarian could finally be the storyline that fans have been waiting for in regards to Styles. It's obvious to anyone that although he is decent as a heel, he is at his best when he is the company's top face.

It just doesn't look right when I'm seeing a heel perform Pele kicks and 450 splashes off the top rope. In addition, Styles' demeanor just screams babyface.

What AJ needs right now is a heel opponent, or better yet, a faction that can bring out the best in him. I think if he should lose to Kazarian on Thursday or even at Victory Road should they fight, then it would be the catalyst in turning him face against the proposed Fortune group that may be on the way. 

Having him lose on Impact would be a great start. Fans would rally around him attempting to get back at Fortune one by one. If plans hold to form he will end up facing Flair at Bound for Glory. Although that may be a downer of a match, the storyline itself will more than elevate Styles back to face status.

Besides, even though RVD has been ok as World Champ, he's not exactly setting the world on fire at TNA's top face right now. 

I would say that honor belongs to Jeff Hardy, although that could be due to his fame in the WWE. That said, eventually TNA needs to realize that if they truly want to make their presence felt, they need their own icon to promote to the fans, someone that fans want to root for, and that person is AJ Styles.