#7 – AJ Styles Wins the IWGP Championship
When AJ Styles left TNA in late 2013, most people couldn't believe it. A lot of fans assumed that it was the last major run of his career. WWE wouldn't touch him, despite how much he's done for the business over the past decade, and most don't consider Ring of Honor a major promotion in the U.S.
I was one of the few extremely excited for AJ Styles to leave TNA. He'd simply done everything he was ever going to do there. If they weren't willing to meet his needs financially, there was absolutely no obligation for him to stick around. His legacy wasn't ruined – there was nothing left to accomplish on Impact. There were more excellent matches to be had outside of TNA, with Adam Cole, Chris Hero, Ricochet, Kevin Steen, Roderick Strong, etc.
What AJ actually accomplished in just a few short months is incredible. He left TNA and immediately had a packed indie touring schedule. He worked multiple excellent matches for Ring of Honor. But then the news broke that he had signed a deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling, one of the most honored and respected wrestling companies in the world, and what I would consider the REAL #2 promotion after WWE today.
Styles went on to become IWGP Champion – one of the few Americans to ever do so, in a list with Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle – and join the Bullet Club, one of the best factions of the past 15 years. Clearly AJ Styles is doing pretty well for himself without TNA Wrestling.
