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| Emo no more Photo Credit: Impact Wrestling.com |
For roughly the past three to four months, TNA has been running the storyline of AJ Styles becoming Sting reincarnate from WCW's heyday. At first, it was great. In fact, I can't recall it happening in a major promotion since Sting. Even if it did, I have to wonder how good it was since I don't remember it. As it stands, Styles decided after losing eligibility to compete for the World Title until Bound for Glory 2013 that he didn't need anyone and that he was only going to focus on himself. Upon his return from a short hiatus, he was courted by both Aces and Eights as well as Impact to help in the feud between the two. AJ spurned both of them and turned his allegiance to "no one".
But that all went down the proverbial crapper tonight. As the Main Event Mafia looked to be doomed to a four on five handicap match in which the loser of the fall would have to leave TNA, Styles came to the rescue and shed his "lone wolf" gimmick without really much of a reason to dump the it. Normally, I'd scoff at such an abrupt change in direction, especially given TNA's track record of questionable booking. This specific case leaves me with better feelings though.
Quite honestly, I haven't been a fan of the lone wolf gimmick since Styles laid out Kurt Angle with the hammer before turning it on Aces and Eights. While the action spelled out Styles' intentions as clear as day, I was left nonplussed by his enmity towards all parties involved. Maybe he could have simply attacked Aces and Eights and then turned down a handshake from Angle.
Then, over the next couple months, Styles remained the lone wolf while TNA took the fight to Aces and Eights. The losses of DOC and D-Lo Brown, and Chris Sabin's joke of a World Championship run had already took some of the bloom off the stable's bloom. Maybe I'm too big of a Kevin Sullivan-like booking, but Aces and Eights just doesn't have enough heat for me to buy into them as a real force against TNA. Therefore, I see no reason why now is not the perfect time to scrap the idea of Styles as Sting 2K13.
The good news is that Bully Ray has the World Heavyweight Title again. Unfortunately, Aces and Eights were dealt another bad hand tonight when Devon took the fall for the biker gang and lost his way out of the company. Barring some other type of booking miracle that brings Devon back to the active roster, that would be the third casualty of the Aces and Eights due to contract disputes. The remaining members are now nothing beyond Bully Ray and Ken Anderson. Knux could be formidable if he ever had a match that he's not the job absorber, but Garret Bischoff and Wes Briscoe make me laugh everytime they come to the ring and try to look tough.
If TNA is just going to let the Aces and Eights slowly be picked apart because they can't afford any of them, then let Styles drop the lone wolf gimmick and put the final dagger in the heart of the beast. I'd love to see this pick up more steam, but TNA has some work to do if they're going to make this stable formidable again. Bully Ray is champion, so there is reason to believe that they have some sort of confidence still in the angle, but Bound for Glory is only two months away. Chances are that whoever wins the BFG Series is going to take Bully down and maybe shut the door on the whole story. Or TNA could give us the swerve that they love and let Bully hold the title through and get this thing rolling again. Either way, I feel like tonight's booking of Styles gives them some options, they just need to set up the gameplan and see it through.