10 Wrestling GOATs With ONE Fatal Flaw

4. AJ Styles

Bryan Danielson
WWE.com

GOAT credentials:

AJ Styles was one of the most exciting wrestlers on the planet and is one of the most influential wrestlers ever. Several thousand acolytes put on a pair of kick pads and attempted to master the hybrid style of aerial, submission and striking at the turn of the 21st century - but none did so with the creativity, snap and exhilaration of AJ. Wasted for years in truth, he evolved into the main event talent everybody except the TNA decision-makers knew he could be in the mid-2010s. His New Japan Pro Wrestling run was legendary. Styles in the heel role was superb at cutting his opponents off. This was genius. The NJPW faithful go banana for a babyface comeback. Styles knew how to deflate them. In WWE, he became a top star against all odds, no pun intended - for a few years, anyway...

Fatal flaw:

AJ hasn't truly mastered the emotional layer of the main event in recent years. Look at his WrestleMania record as evidence. Has he done anything worthy of the 'Mania Moment highlight reel beyond 2017 at a push?

It's not that he hasn't aged gracefully, but also, he hasn't really learned how to work to a high level as a veteran. A true great gets the most out of their declining body. Is that true of AJ? He has wrestled a sobering amount of forgettable three star specials since 2019, and the last theoretically big programme he worked - against Edge in 2022 - was flat and boring. He isn't a must-watch TV star. A lot of the time, he just exists.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!