During the latest edition of his “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett commented on AJ Styles’ departure from TNA Wrestling, his reaction to Styles leaving the company, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On AJ Styles being forced out of TNA: “I resigned December 21, 2013. Early December is when the Carters put the nail in the coffin for me and Toby [Keith] to acquire majority interest. We knew it was game, set, match. It was not happening. I knew I had to go. I knew I was moving. I knew Dixie’s position on all of it because of the, for lack of a better word, the financial death spiral the company was in. AJ’s money was getting cut. They wanted to cut AJ’s money but not dates. He said, ‘If you’re cutting my money, I’m cutting my dates.’ It was not just AJ’s contract. It was everybody’s. It was a complete, utter mess. I knew these were my last TVs to produce. I told my attorney, ‘I’m going to these TVs and I’m gonna do everything I possibly can to make it the very best.’ It’s kind of fitting the very last match I produced in TNA was an AJ Styles World title match. Had a lot of fun with it. AJ was so willing to commit to the product that he was going to re-sign. I found this out later. They said some awful things to the attorneys and had devalued AJ. They basically forced AJ against his will to leave. It’s amazing. Truly amazing. That’s how committed AJ Styles was to the brand. He was TNA through and through. He had to be essentially forced out.”
On his reaction to Styles leaving the company: “When I heard he was gone, I literally could not believe it. He embodied the brand, and in my view – if you’re gonna pay anybody, pay AJ. Don’t lose him. Literally do not lose AJ Styles from the TNA brand. I think in a lot of ways, Cody doing the sledgehammer, that’s so synonymous with that brand that it’s sort of the one guy you don’t want to lose. I know it’s completely different stories and time frames and all that. But as it relates to AJ in TNA, I just could not believe they let him go, knowing that AJ would’ve done anything to stay.”
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(h/t – 411 Wrestling)
