Global InformationAJ Styles information
| AJ Styles | |
|---|---|
 Styles in 2018 | |
| Birth name | Allen Neal Jones |
| Born | June 2, 1977[1] Jacksonville, North Carolina, U.S.[2] |
| Spouse(s) |
Wendy Jones (m. 2000) |
| Children | 4 |
| Website | ajstyles |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Air Styles AJ Styles[3] Jason Styles[4] Mr. Olympia[5] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 218 lb (99 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Gainesville, Georgia[6] |
| Trained by | Rick Michaels[7] |
| Debut | 1998[7] |
Allen Neal Jones[7] (born June 2, 1977),[1] better known by his ring name AJ Styles, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is the leader of the The O.C..
Jones debuted in 1998 and competed for various independent promotions before gaining initial mainstream exposure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. He gained prominence after signing with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) having been described as "the cornerstone of the company since its inception";[6] he won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times, and was the inaugural titleholder of the X Division Championship, which he won six times. He is also the first TNA Triple Crown and Grand Slam champion. Jones simultaneously appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2002 to 2006, where he became the inaugural ROH Pure Champion. Jones has also wrestled extensively internationally, in promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the United Kingdom based Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), where he is a former RPW British Heavyweight Champion.
Jones first appeared in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2002, but declined a developmental contract. He returned to the company in 2016, and won the WWE Championship twice. With his second victory in Manchester, England, Jones is recognized by WWE as the first wrestler to win the title outside North America. At 371 days, he is tied with Randy Savage for the eighth-longest reign in title history.[8] He also won the United States Championship three times, the Intercontinental Championship and the Raw Tag Team Championship once each, becoming the second wrestler (after Kurt Angle) to become a TNA and WWE Triple Crown winner and first Grand Slam champion in both promotions, as well as the third man (after Brock Lesnar and Angle) to be both IWGP and WWE Champion.
Jones has been thought of as a pillar of the wrestling industry for over two decades, being respected by fans and co-workers, and is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[9] He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events, including the respective premier events of WWE and TNA, WrestleMania and Bound for Glory. He ranked atop the annual Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500 in 2010, the first TNA wrestler to do so, was voted PWI Wrestler of the Year three times between 2016 and 2018, and Wrestler of the Decade in 2020. He also won 10 Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, including Wrestler of the Year in 2015 and 2016, and was inducted in their Hall of Fame in 2017.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Officialwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Best of AJ Styles Volume 2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "AJ Styles". WWE. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ^ Saalbach, Axel. "AJ Styles - Facts". Wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (January 26, 2010). "Torch Talk Flashback: A.J. Styles (2002) – talks brief WCW run, trying out for WWE in front of Ric Flair, origins in WWE". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ^ a b "A.J Styles bio". TNA Wrestling. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
SLAMwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Benigno, Anthony (November 1, 2018). "The 10 longest-reigning WWE Champions of all time". WWE. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ Moore, Michael (September 1, 2016). "Where to Find Top Cards of 2016's Veteran Breakout Stars". Pro Wrestling Torch. TDH Communications Inc. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.