10 Things TNA Wants You To Forget

For 12 years, AJ Styles was TNA Wrestling.

He was the epitome of the company, the young talent who brought a unique style to the product the promotion could call its own. He laid the groundwork for TNA. He was the its foundation, its heart and its soul. No matter who came and who went, Styles was the one constant.

That is, until 2013 when TNA inexplicably allowed The Phenomenal One to walk away, refusing to negotiate a fair contract with the competitor.

If that was not bad enough, the company ended up in an ugly contract dispute with Styles three years later when it tried to resign him in time for their POP TV debut, only to have the Gainesville, Georgia native walk away.

The company, spurned, released the following to its website:

AJ Styles has always been synonymous with TNA and TNA synonymous with AJ Styles. AJ helped build the foundation of IMPACT WRESTLING, and his phenomenal body of work lives in our rich history – something we are very proud of.
In the last few weeks, rumors have swirled about AJ Styles, his future and TNA Wrestling. Fans have asked for the status and wrestling media have made numerous inquiries.
For the past several months, AJ and TNA were involved in serious discussions to bring him back home to TNA. Creative discussions escalated and two additional wrestlers, Drew Hankinson [aka Doc Gallows] and Chad Allegra [aka Karl Anderson], were enthusiastically added.
These discussions culminated on December 14th in Nashville, Tenn., where all attended a meeting at Dixie Carter’s home. A handshake and written deal between AJ, Drew, Chad and TNA was agreed upon and signed by all. Start dates were determined, creative decided, merchandise designed and plane tickets purchased.
Over the Christmas holiday, and after the lawyers finalized the long form agreement, all communication with TNA stopped.
AJ’s lawyer contacted TNA and stated the wrestlers had changed their mind and would not be honoring their commitment to TNA.

Soon, though, it became apparent that the company may not have been complete honest in their recollection of the events. Styles's agent/lawyer Bill Behrens released the following statement to PWInsider.com:

No contract was ever finalized nor signed by the parties.
That I would need to be involved in the contract process was known by TNA prior to my involvement and understood by them.
TNA and its 1st lawyer did not present in a timely fashion a contract that accurately reflected previous discussions at all. That created great concern tied to past experiences. In that time and prior there was other interest and there were other firm offers on the table and other discussions.
TNA was aware of other interest and various conflicts. TNA was aware a final contract was required. It was creating that contract and controlled that timetable. Too much time passed early on. Other things came into play. No contract was ever finalized with TNA.
To suggest I make any decision for my clients is to misunderstand my role and diminish the role each talent has in making their own decisions, and insults the talent in the process.

To be shut up in such grand fashion by a wrestler it once considered as close as family is not only insulting but embarrassing. It was the latest in a long line of issues facing TNA as it entered its most tumultuous year.