AJ Styles TNA Contract

Recent reports claim that TNA star, AJ Styles' contract will expire next month and it's possible he won't resign with the company. The "This is Awesome" TNA fans can relax because AJ will remain on the  TNA roster. Styles is obviously a tremendous talent and he was one of the competitors that helped the company gain notoriety during its earlier years. More specifically, Styles put the company on his back and had some of the best matches in the promotion history. Without a doubt, Styles is one of the most amazing athletes in the history of the business and even today, with a somewhat reduced role compared to earlier in his career, remains a major asset to the company. So, why wouldn't the company resign him?

Obviously, Styles and the TNA office are the only people that know the details of the negotiations, but I would guess that with TNA cutting the budget recently, they probably haven't offered Styles the right amount of money. The production cost of Impact on the road caused some talents to be released, which makes sense, but as far as Styles goes, it's time for TNA to pay up. Styles has earned his money and deserves to be compensated for his efforts. If TNA is actually trying to pay Styles less than he's worth, it would be ironic considering they can afford Hulk Hogan on the pay roll. Speaking of Hogan, what exactly has he done for TNA? The ratings haven't increased so what's the benefit for the company? They are not  more people watching Impact to see a Hogan promo so is it really necessary to pay him to talk? This might have sounded impossible a decade ago, but Hogan isn't really a draw in pro wrestling in the current market. If anything, he's known more for being a tabloid circus than a draw for wrestling fans. The tape scandals and TMZ reports of recent years seemed to sour people on Hogan so again, why is TNA paying him? Basically, if TNA can afford to pay Hogan then they can afford to pay Styles, which is why he will be signed.

Even though I think AJ will resign, I could be wrong and rumors of his departure from TNA fuel speculation that he could sign with the WWE. Styles has probably been offered a WWE contract before and if he was going to sign with them, it would have been five years ago. Styles has mentioned in interviews that he wants to spend time with his family, which is understandable and the TNA schedule allows him to do that. The flip side could be the reason Styles would consider a WWE contract, he has wrestled for over a decade and a WWE contract would give him the opportunity to make the most money in his career. While I'm sure AJ won't be in the bread line, a WWE deal would be major money he could earn for his family and he could retire at a younger age without a lot of the injuries that many of the aerial wrestlers have later in their career. If Styles were to sign with the WWE, I don't think he would be the automatic main event performer that some might guess, not for lack of talent, but rather that while TNA is a wrestling company, WWE is a sports entertainment company and it would be two completely different elements. That's not to say AJ wouldn't be successful in the WWE because he would definitely have some level of success, but his lack of promo skills might keep him from the main event scene. That being said, AJ has the talent so it would be interesting to see what he would do in the WWE and if he would be given the chance to be a major performer.

There have been similar contract situations in TNA before, including when Samoa Joe resigned with the company so it's possible AJ could resign a few weeks before his contract expires and he becomes a free agent. That being said, TNA has made a lot of dumb decisions, but even TNA isn't dumb enough to not AJ Styles for the company.