WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, who is also All Elite Wrestling’s Director of Business Development, appeared on an episode of his “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast. In it, he discussed various topics, including his contract negotiations with AJ Styles during their TNA days.
Jarrett said, “At the end of the day, AJ Styles, every time he came to the table, he was never abrasive, but at the end of the day, you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, he had leverage because could he go somewhere else? Yep, all the time. He was very loyal to the brand, and I’m super grateful for that. But his skill set, every year, he got better. He got better on the mic. He got better on character development, his athletic ability; I’ll say, [he] continued to fine-tune it, and all that kind of stuff. But he was, from day one, the anchor of the X Division.”
On how he thinks Styles leaving TNA was the final nail in the coffin for the company:
“When he said, ‘I’m out,’ from a brand perspective, forward-facing, I would imagine that was the final nail in the coffin for the original OG TNA fan. The Hulk Hogan years were ball shot after ball shot after ball shot on that, but AJ leaving would be the final nail in the coffin for that brand.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to Fightful for transcribing the above quotes)
