TNA Bound for Glory 2011: AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels Will Steal the Show

TNA Bound for Glory is upon us and one bout that fans expect to steal the show is AJ Styles versus Christopher Daniels in an I Quit match.

Scratch that, fans know this match will steal the show.

There are many unknowns in TNA, but Daniels versus Styles is not one of them.  These two guys know how to bring it and the company’s biggest pay-per-view of the year will be no exception.

Like Triple H and Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat, Styles and Daniels represent the best that their promotion has to offer and every time they face off, it’s a guaranteed classic with the fans.

Like Flair and Steamboat, AJ and Christopher are destined to be rivals.  There’s just no way around it.

Yes, they made an unbelievable tag team, so much so that if they had remained a duo, they quite possibly could have gone down as one of the greatest teams of all time.

However, much like Hunter and Shawn, there is an underlying competitive edge to both of their characters. It’s a common trait that places both of them on the same level in terms of intensity and dedication to their craft.

In other words, they can only remain friends for so long, until one of them turns on the other.

That is just what’s happened here, as Daniels is once again wearing the black hat.

It’s a role that suits him, as he is more prone to the cocky cynicism that he’s been showing as of late and let’s face it, when you have heat with AJ Styles, you usually end up running heel.

That’s not to discredit the work that AJ has done as a heel in the past, but for me, he has always been more in his element as the daring, energetic smiling baby face who pops the crowd every time he hit’s the ramp.  

Daniels is the flip side of the coin. The Fallen Angel has a darkness about him, a character who has stared into the abyss and came away forever changed from it.  He believes in destiny, and his ability to shape it.  His point of view is not impacted by the fans or their perceived support of him.

The strength of their individual characters is matched only by their ability in the ring, as both men are considered two of the best performers in the short history of TNA.

In my view, they are two of the best of all time—period.

Yes, it’s a broad statement for two men who have not been on the worldwide stage of WWE, but when it comes to being students of the game and giving everything to entertain, Styles and Daniels have got to be considered among the elite.

When these two guys touch, it’s like poetry in motion.

The give and go, the timing, the psychology of their pacing and everything else that it takes to make a great pro wrestling match, AJ and Chris do perfectly. They are the best example of how good the business can be at its highest level.

With that being the case, the fact is that this match deserves to be a main event bout.  

Kurt Angle and Bobby Roode for the World Championship is undoubtedly going to be a great match and Sting versus Hulk Hogan, while no longer a main event in my book, is likely going to draw all the attention.

Styles and Daniels are the filet mignon on the buffet, the match that everyone is virtually guaranteed to take something away from.  

Pay-per-view matches should be booked with the intent of making money, with two workers who have a real reason to face off in a big time setting.  AJ Styles versus Christopher Daniels fit’s this description on any card in any environment.

With the backdrop of the epic I Quit match, this bout is taken to a whole other level.  

Daniels’ desire to constantly one up his former best friend has completely consumed him, to the point that AJ had had enough.  Now, the friendship is over and all that’s left is a bitter rivalry that will reach its apex in a match that has all the makings of a dangerous, violent bloodbath.

At Bound for Glory, AJ and Chris will do what they always do.  They will give all they have in the ring, proving once again who the true workhorses of the company are.  They will also do something else that they are both very used to doing.

They will steal the show.