Stone Cold isn't happy with Aj Styles' booking

[C.M. Shaddix]

Austin: ‘AJ Styles just carried Roman Reigns’

They keep beating that f------ kid, and they’ve got a potential superstar on their hands. He’s only been working 16, 18 years, f---, he’s got it figured out. Put a rocket on his ass and send him to the moon. I would love to see them run with Styles.

When you see guys like that–who have been around the world and are veterans, you want them to finally get paid. He’s paid a million dues and he ain’t made no money. I want to see the kid go out and have a seven-figure year finally.

 

[Swift]

What a mark.

 

[Wacokid27]

I completely agree with Austin.

wk

 

[C.M. Shaddix]

What a mark.

we're all marks

 

[Snowman1]

A sarcastic "lol smark" comment up here...

I "slightly" agree with the booking. In theory with WWE's youth movement, AJ Styles should be used to get the newer talents over. He can 50/50 with Cena and then put Balor over. Let the almost 40 year old have an impact on the numerous talents who have a decade left in the business. Maybe have a kick-ass feud with Bray Wyatt. For that theory it's correct. Problem is it's not like he helped Reigns, and that WM loss to Jericho still pisses me off. I don't give a dying moose's last shit about getting his win back on Raw that was so damn dumb. It just defies logic. "lol he can lose at Wrestlemania that's cool wins and losses don't matter anywa-oh he can just win a #1 contender's match over Jericho that works too"

then they tried to use Jericho's momentum to put over Ambrose and that's going swimmingly. How can you get a guy over?

although if you want stars now, on June 13, 2016, here you go.

 

[Prince Bálor]

Styles is a phenomenal worker, and while I agree with SCSA, Vinnie Mac ain't pushing Mr. TNA to the moon.

 

[CycLoNe_]

I can understand Austin's sentiments considering how he himself spent years upon years in the wilderness being stuck with less than convincing gimmicks and feuds before finding his groove with the Stone Cold gimmick, but some of these statements seem a bit of an overreaction to me.

As someone who saw A.J Styles perform for the first time at this year's Royal Rumble, I think he has been pushed and protected way beyond what was warranted with the overall skills he has presented as a sports entertainer thus far. He comes in and straight-away defeats a future HOF'er in Jericho, gets put in a program with The Miz who I believe cut the promo of the year thus far just one week into Styles' tenure, not for his own benefit but to sell AJ Styles' story and lend a bit of legitimacy to Styles amongst the vast WWE demographic that hadn't seen him before the WWE :



Destroys Miz despite Miz doing almost the entirety of the work while building up each and every match from scratch with his incredible mic work while Styles hardly spoke and was limited to being a bell to bell performer with a very less defined character to boot. After destroying Miz, he immediately enters into the feud with Jericho who again carries the entire mantel of building up each and every match and showing his versatility while playing a face, tweener and heel all in the same feud ! Styles, to his credit plays his part in the ring being a part of some great matches like the Tag match with The New Day but still far from convincing as an overall sports entertainer. The series ends at 3-2 in Styles' favour with Styles immediately getting into the title picture within 3 months of his debut.

In the title feud, he technically beats Reigns not once but twice in the same match, an occurrence unheard of with Reigns and ends the title feud coming out with much much more legitimacy, exposure and stardom then what he entered with, despite losing both the matches he at least develops some character, has more exposure on the mic and plays a leader to a faction. All in all, his booking in the feud helps him take a big leap as far as all round skills go... and straight after he enters into the feud with the face of the company himself. Sounds like close to perfect booking for a performer who is 5' 10'' 218 lbs, good-great wrestling skills but weak on the mic and having a less than defined character and less than optimal charisma. Have to disagree entirely with Austin here, Styles has much more to prove before being a permanent fixture in the main event scene, at least for the WWE viewers who didn't know him before his signing.

 

[edge4ever]

I agree with Austin. Let styles reign on the top for a bit, then let Seth and reigns and dean and KO and Cesaro have their moment. Styles doesn't need a belt to prove anything, but letting him have a nice little run would be awesome to see.

 

[Snowman1]

Although we really should keep things in perspective. Considering this guy was the biggest name for your top rival promotion for a decade, looks the way he does, and has that damn accent that Kevin Dunn hates so much... He kept his name, bypassed NXT, and within a couple of months was already putting on kickass main events and honestly couldn't be featured any better (obvs could do better in the w/l category but with wins and losses not mattering... although he's gotta get a big pinfall win dammit!)... It's amazing to think that with this company AJ Styles has had the run he's had.

 

[Krendall]

Styles is a phenomenal worker, and while I agree with SCSA, Vinnie Mac ain't pushing Mr. TNA to the moon.

Sadly, this is probably the hang-up. I'm sure in Vince's mind pushing Styles to the top would be like admitting TNA had a main-event worthy wrestler all these years that Vince ignored, and Vince's fragile ego just can't handle that.

 

[Jacob Fox]

Sadly, this is probably the hang-up. I'm sure in Vince's mind pushing Styles to the top would be like admitting TNA had a main-event worthy wrestler all these years that Vince ignored, and Vince's fragile ego just can't handle that.

I would add that his success in New Japan probably figures into this to a lesser degree. These two companies do poke at one another quite a bit and they've made many mentions of his and the Club's success in New Japan

 

[Wacokid27]

I do not understand the argument that Styles was the top name in the closest thing to an American rival WWE had for a long time (TNA) and one of the top three or four names in the biggest international rival WWE has (NJPW), so he can't/won't/shouldn't be pushed like a big deal. I get the on-screen/in-storyline "you've won world titles everywhere but here and here's all that matters" promos. I get the "you could've/should've been here 15 years ago" promos.

But, facts are facts: AJ's gotten over everywhere he's been. He's had tremendous runs everywhere he's been and he's had a damn good one to start his WWE career (except for the win/loss record...and, damn it, wins and losses do matter...and if you think that makes me a mark, then I guess I'm a mark....as somebody pointed out: we're all marks). The next fact is that you need somebody with credibility to put over the New Era performers and a guy who's never carried gold in WWE and can't seem to buy a win on a PPV has a hard time having credibility. Let AJ put over the next generation, but realize that you've got to let him get some wins now to make that mean something.

wk

 

[Jacob Fox]

I do not understand the argument that Styles was the top name in the closest thing to an American rival WWE had for a long time (TNA) and one of the top three or four names in the biggest international rival WWE has (NJPW), so he can't/won't/shouldn't be pushed like a big deal. I get the on-screen/in-storyline "you've won world titles everywhere but here and here's all that matters" promos. I get the "you could've/should've been here 15 years ago" promos.

But, facts are facts: AJ's gotten over everywhere he's been. He's had tremendous runs everywhere he's been and he's had a damn good one to start his WWE career (except for the win/loss record...and, damn it, wins and losses do matter...and if you think that makes me a mark, then I guess I'm a mark....as somebody pointed out: we're all marks). The next fact is that you need somebody with credibility to put over the New Era performers and a guy who's never carried gold in WWE and can't seem to buy a win on a PPV has a hard time having credibility. Let AJ put over the next generation, but realize that you've got to let him get some wins now to make that mean something.

wk

Could not have said this any better. Agree 100%

 

[InSaNe]

Although we really should keep things in perspective. Considering this guy was the biggest name for your top rival promotion for a decade, looks the way he does, and has that damn accent that Kevin Dunn hates so much... He kept his name, bypassed NXT, and within a couple of months was already putting on kickass main events and honestly couldn't be featured any better (obvs could do better in the w/l category but with wins and losses not mattering... although he's gotta get a big pinfall win dammit!)... It's amazing to think that with this company AJ Styles has had the run he's had.

He was in WWE before TNA. Here:


So, Vince Mchanon needs to stop that line of thinking. Get Styles pushed, already. There's a reason why he was in the independent scene, and the reason why he went to TNA. WWE wasn't appreciating him.

Bobby Rhode and Samoa Joe both were in WWE, too...

 

[Cloud]

Whislt I completely agree with what Waco says.

God damn I want Roode, Aries, AJ and Joe with titles at one point. (NXT doesn't count.)