Source: In The Room
AJ Styles Interview
On TNA’s Youth Movement, as it Stands:
“They’re … WE are definitely in a better place. If we’re making new stars, that’s what we need to do. We gotta build that foundation, and it starts by making new stars. You can’t rely on Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy and guys like that who have been around for awhile …. or even AJ Styles for that matter. You have to continue to build new stars to rely on and to keep it fresh.”
On The Development of Bobby Roode and James Storm:
“I gotta tell you, when those two broke up as a tag team I thought, ‘Oh man, that’s the worst thing that could ever happen to tag team wrestling.’ Literally these guys were the best in the world as a tag team … It’s crazy what has happened with them over time. I can’t say that I don’t want to see this match happen because I do.”
On Being in the Locker Room with Guys Like Flair, Hogan, Sting, and Angle:
“It’s a great thing to have around. If you can soak up as much information as they’re putting out. You can only get better with those guys around you … These guys have done a lot in this business. If you can soak up some of that information. The sky’s the limit.”
On AJ’s Relationship with Flair:
“I soaked up so much information from Ric Flair that I realized he’s kind of a douche-bag. Neither Fortune nor myself wanted to be around him any more. Fortune kind of imploded because of it.”
On Bobby Roode as Champion:
“Like it or not, Bobby Roode is the best world heavyweight champion RIGHT NOW. The guy is good. You can’t deny that fact. He looks good. He wrestles even better than he looks. This guy is unstoppable at this point in his career.”
On TNA Overtaking WWE:
“It’s not going to happen overnight. We don’t have the money that the other company has. We just have to take it slow … When we move too fast, that’s how you destroy a company.”
All that, plus AJ’s thoughts on competing in the steel cage each year at Lockdown, being a main-event player once again, taking Impact live once again, and on the road, what Fortune did for each member’s career, getting to compete each week against his best friends in the business, and so much more!
Want more AJ? Be sure to check out his prior 45-minute shoot for IN THE ROOM, in which he talked at length about TNA’s good and bad points, what TNA needs to do to catch WWE, and goes on at length about stars such as Flair, RVD, Batista, Christian, and Michelle McCool, among so many others. Check it out at: http://thebradyhicks.com/uploads/August%209.mp3.
Crimson Interview
On Still Being Undefeated:
“It’s huge. I’ve been with the company 15 months now and to still have the unbeaten streak going for me, to be tested physically and mentally by some of the top guys in TNA, there’s not a greater experience for me.”
On Being a Tag Team Guy:
“It was successful, as you guys could see, but I’m more of a one-man army. I like going out there and taking care of business on my own, not having to depend on anybody else. So it ran its course and it was pretty quick … I like the tag team division, and it’s going to get stronger as we go, but I’d just rather be out there kicking ass on my own.”
On His Goals:
“It was a huge honor to win those TNA tag team championships and it was a huge honor to defend those championships. But just like anybody else who gets into pro wrestling, your goal is to be the World heavyweight champion. And the faster I can get to that point, the happier I will be.”
On TNA’s Youth Movement:
“It’s time for the younger generation to step up and start taking over, if you can say something like that. It’s huge. This company’s been around for 10 years, and the younger guys are going to have to step up, that’s just the way it is … Younger guys just chomping at the bit to get out there and prove that we belong. So it’s something that I’m going to cherish, to get that spot. To get that main event. To get that World heavyweight championship.”
On TNA Having Potential to be the Top Company:
“It definitely does. I love where I’m at. I love TNA. I love being here, being a part of this roster … It does have all the pieces in place. And about guys coming in from other companies, if they’re coming in for the right reason – to help the product grow – then I’m all for it. I think it’s just a matter of time.”
On the Influence of Hogan, Flair, Sting, etc.:
“It is really cool. Those are the guys that I grew up watching. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting, those guys are … legends. And those are guys that, when I got in wrestling, I knew in my mind where I wanted to be. Working next to those guys …. to have them here is tremendous. Especially as a younger guy on the roster, they’re all about helping the younger guys and passing the torch, so to speak, and trying to get us ready for the next level. It’s huge having those guys around. Huge.”
All that, plus the one-year anniversary of his ppv debut, nearly winning the Bound for Glory Series Challenge, working with Matt Morgan and Samoa Joe, and so much more!
IN THE ROOM airs LIVE weekly at 9:30 PM EST on WEXP 1600 Philly and www.thebradyhicks.com! Call in to the show at (609) 755-5487 (5ITR). Check it out for fresh perspectives, interviews, and commentary from wrestling’s top stars.
IN THE ROOM
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THE Brady Hicks has been writing about wrestling for more than 15 years, for Web sites, newspapers, and magazines. He is a contributing writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated and is also the host of his acclaimed weekly podcast – IN THE ROOM.
