AJ Styles is in the middle of one of the best runs of his career, blitzing through every challenger he’s faced to the tune of a 324-day run as WWE Champion. But years before he’d make his long-awaited jump to WWE, Styles considered himself a TNA guy to his core.
So when it came time for his contract to renew in 2013, it was a bit of a surprise when the face of the brand jumped ship to New Japan Pro Wrestling. In a recently-released interview with Title Match, Styles opened up on rumors that TNA requested a 60 percent pay cut before he concluded his 11-year run with the company.
“I think saying 60 percent is being generous,” Styles said. “It’s kind of crazy when that’s the first offer, you’re like ‘wait, what? That doesn’t make any sense. I’ve worked here for 11 years, hard for 11 years. I’ve gotten more popular over the last year, so I don’t know what’s going on. This doesn’t make much sense to me.'”
Styles later attributed the requested pay cut to the company mismanaging their money and him having to “pay the price.” The money TNA spent on bringing in the likes of Hulk Hogan eventually led to homegrown stars such as Styles exiting the company.
For Styles, joining Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and the Bullet Club in New Japan allowed his character to be “reborn” and paved a path to WWE at the Royal Rumble in 2016.
(H/T Wrestling Inc)
