AJ Styles Speaks On Bound for Glory, iMPACT! Game Report by TNAWrestlingNews.com Staff on 10/09/2008 at 02:14 PM
This recap was written by the Monday Night Mayhem show:
Former three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, six-time TNA X Division Champion, & TNA World Tag Team Champion, "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, was a special guest on this week's live edition (10/06/08) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL. "
The Mayhem Crew welcomed AJ back to the show (for his first MNM appearance in over one year), as part of the global media blitz for this Sunday night's TNA Bound For Glory Pay-Per-View, which AJ says he is excited for, being one of TNA's biggest Pay-Per-Views of the year. He added that Chicago is a great place to wrestle & is a city that has awesome fans -- which makes the wrestlers want to go out & perform that much more, with everybody being involved.
Mosh then mentioned AJ's opponents for the night, Booker T & "The Instant Classic" Christian Cage in a Triple-Threat Match, which some fans are looking forward to more so than the Grudge Match between Kurt Angle & Jeff Jarrett or the TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match between Sting & "The Samoan Submission Machine," Samoa Joe. AJ then talked about the storied careers of both Booker & Christian, who have been competing longer than he has -- which he added that it feels great to be able to perform "on-par" with them on such a big stage. In regards what the fans can expect from his match at BFG, AJ said simply "expect the unexpected."
Mosh, Blade, & DFL then asked AJ about the TNA high-definition debut, as well as the live TNA iMPACT show from The Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, NV later this month on October 23rd. AJ said that going HD shows how much & how fast TNA is growing, even though it will "show his imperfections." He added that he is a little bit of a gambler & even though he says he does not lose a lot of money, "if I win it, then it's ok to lose it."
In regards to the new TNA/Midway "iMPACT"video game, AJ alluded to the 2 out-of-5 star rating that the game received from X-Play on G4. He said that the rating is understandable, and then added that it is TNA & Midway's first wrestling game, which also means it's the first wrestling game that's "easy to fix what's wrong" for the second game which is already in development. AJ then mentioned "WWE's SmackDown vs RAW" video game series, which has a full library of things to use, but still is not fun to play for him. AJ envisions the second game to shadow "Virtual Pro Wrestling II," a reference prefaced by Dr. Keith Lipinski himself!
Mosh discussed TNA's newest & latest acquisition, Mick Foley, and asked AJ for his thoughts on the signing, as well as some of the recent criticism it has been getting. AJ said that whether or not he can still wrestle, it's still Mick Foley, "a genius when it comes to wrestling". AJ said that Mick is willing to help to bring TNA to the next level, and that he is also excited to be able to have somebody like Mick in the locker room to ask questions & learn from. Blade mentioned that Mick was one of the guys who had a choice of whether to stay with the WWE or go to TNA, which AJ added, "It's one thing to make money, but it's another to enjoy what you're doing, and why not do both?"
The Mayhem mentioned several of TNA's future stops, including California & a return trip to the United Kingdom, and Mosh asked AJ where he would like to wrestle that he/TNA never have been. AJ said that in some of the places TNA has already been, it has been a huge surprise to see how many fans were really into the product. With regards to TNA, AJ said that he was recently in the Denver, CO area for a show, and he had a lot of people tell him with confidence that a lot of people would show up there if TNA were to do an event in that area.
Mosh asked AJ what he would like to see out of TNA from now until years end, in addition to the HD launch coming later this month. AJ said that he would like to see TNA continue to grow & have more people become attached to the company when they turn it on the television. He also gave a little hint that "something great is about to happen" even though he could not give out any details, and expects the next few months to once again continue TNA's rapid growth.
Throughout AJ's spectacular, he has been a part of many great matches, as well as experienced some spectacular memories. With the biggest event of the year for TNA this upcoming weekend, Mosh asked AJ for his "Top Three Moments In TNA Wrestling." AJ mentioned that the first moment would be the very first Pay-Per-View in Huntsville,AL -- when minutes before the match, they were not sure if they would be able to use the top rope as the ring was somewhat broken, but it ended up being perfect by the time they went out. Secondly, AJ said would be all of his matches against Low-Ki, Jerry Lynn, & Psicosis. Finally, he said would be the Triple-Threat Match between himself, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, & Samoa Joe at Sacrifice a few years ago. He said there are plenty of others, but those three stick out immediately -- with a fourth being when he kissed Karen Angle.
In closing, AJ told The Mayhem's worldwide listening audience/everybody to stay warm & try to avoid getting sick, like the cold he is battling from a current house show sweep through the northeast.
Remember to tune into TNA iMPACT tonight (beginning at 9PM ET/8PM CT), as "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles will square off against Booker T in one-on-one action! The final countdown to Sunday's Bound For Glory spectacular is on! You might be shut out for the TNA "Bound For Glory IV Fan InterAction" this Saturday, but you can still be a part of the live Bound For Glory IV PPV! Head on over to www.TNAWrestling.com on how to purchase tickets. If you cannot make it to "The Windy City" in person, call your local cable or satellite provider for availability.
