TNA Accused of Ruining AJ Styles’ Return By Poor Presentation

AJ Styles’ monumental return to TNA Wrestling on the company’s January 15 debut episode on AMC was met with deafening chants and a thunderous ovation—but not everyone was sold on how the moment played out.

On a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff gave a full breakdown of why he felt the presentation of Styles’ return missed the mark, despite being heavily promoted in advance. When co-host Conrad Thompson asked whether the moment would’ve landed better as a surprise, Bischoff didn’t hesitate.

“No. I mean, look, big, big real surprises always get the reaction you want them to get. And I think it would have definitely happened with AJ in a massive way.”

Bischoff made it clear that while he understood the business decision to advertise AJ Styles’ appearance—especially for a high-stakes debut on a new network like AMC—the actual execution of the entrance took the wind out of what could have been a truly unforgettable moment.

“Even if they would have announced him... if you go back and look at his entrance, his graphic was up on the screen a minute before he came out.”

“So it was like... if he would have crashed into the scene—even though he had been advertised—the energy would have been so much different, as opposed to, ‘There’s his graphic. Well, we know what’s coming up next. AJ’s coming out next. Yay.’”

“You can’t tell that guy over there AJ Styles is coming and then he comes out. You just don’t get the same reaction the way that entrance was laid out.”

Bischoff also mentioned a surprising moment involving Dixie Carter during the show, noting that the crowd response wasn’t as warm as expected.

“From where I was sitting—now, I can't see that well tonight—but I could hear pretty well. It sounded like a lot of boos. I don’t think she expected that. And I felt bad for her because she doesn’t deserve that. She doesn't deserve it.”

While the return of AJ Styles was a massive deal for the newly-rebranded TNA, Bischoff believes that in the world of wrestling, timing and presentation can often outweigh pure star power. For a debut show meant to set the tone for a new era, he thinks the energy could’ve—and should’ve—been much stronger.

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