Aj styles is something thats missing in the modern day wrestling, especially for high flyers. Instead of doing moves just because they can, he made it looked like he had to, the selling, the timing, the facial expression, body language, ring awareness, everything made sense. He and his generation of wrestlers just made wrestling seemed more realistic. Hes simply phenomenal.
The funny thing is though - back when AJ was new on the scene, a fair amount of people were saying the exact same kinda stuff about him. Flippy high flier guy, just doing moves because he can. It all goes in a cycle. A few of those young fellas just doing moves will have it all click one day too.
one good performer? TNA is loaded with great wrestlers. So you're honeslty saying guys like Drew, Lashley,the Wolves, Lee, Roode, Storm, Eli Drake are not good performers? you're just a troll
Eli Drake, Drew Galloway and EC3 are amazing and more charismatic than AJ Styles will ever be. Great wrestlers who can tell a fantastic story in the ring
The first time I saw AJ Styles was 2005 my jaw dropped to the ground watching him he has faced and beaten so many legends in his career they don't call him "Phenomenal" for nothing
This in my opinion is the best singles steel cage match in tna/impact wrestling history. Even more so, this match alone had 2 of the best biggest names in the company's history.
Prime AJ was a couple of years ago when he was beating Cena, etc. I watched him from the beginning and he's improved so much more today than people realise. In WWE he learned storytelling which took his game to another level.
I swear aj styles is the perfect wrestler he got the star power in ring abilities he's a good story teller his gear looks cool he looks cool his music is awesome he could sell moves like no other he could do what Shawn Michaels did and more because Shawn Michaels doesn't do any flips aj does and Shawn never did submissions aj does I swear he could do it all in the ring he's fast strong powerful athletic technical I could go on about how great he is when he steps into the wrestling ring but I'm done anyone else agree.
They dropped the ball with the Daniels-AJ feud after 2005 making them a tag team and then killing them off after 2006!!Then Daniels turned into a jobber and Aj became a jokester!!It pained me to watch how they messed up a feud that could have made them soo much money
+Kobe mac what feud did he have with Abyss besides this match right here?i kno they were tag champs for like a week in 2002 but that's it..The angle styles story was soo stupid!!!Why did they need to have Karen angle involved??They should have just booked Aj as a strong face before he became a lackey for cage and angle and Made angle a kickass type of heel like Samoa Joe was and then have them feud..The sting Aj feud was burnt out from all of the BS that went on in 2009!!(Foley was champ) smh they had an awesome match at turning point 2009 before the run ins began but their bound for glory match didn't deliver..tbh I stopped watching TNA in mid 2011 because of all the stupidity so i didn't really see the bully Ray stuff
+Derod2012 as far as the grand slam champion goes!!Yea that wasAwesome!!but how much did TNA endorse that?? ZERO!!Aj should have been the TNA World champion so many more times and not been in stupid feuds like with Daniels in 2012 or being away from TNA in 2013-2014..They should have been promoting the fact that he Samoa Joe and Abyss are all grand slam champions..But they are all Morons and now look at them..On the verge of being out of business and off TV
I think Abyss was literally trying to peel off AJ's entire face in the most brutal way. And I doubt many kids went to bed... they super glued themselves to the sofa lol
AJ Styles was in his bag at this time. He wasn’t even at his peak greatness, and I think that we can honestly say that he was still one of the top 5 workers at that time.
I think this is my favorite match of all time. I've been rewatching it about once a year for 17 years. It never gets old. Really loved this particular time in TNA and both of these guys.
Man channel 427 on sky. What time that was! Just pure wrestling with a website with a rooster. No wrestlers with social media influencers with a link to their only fans or wrestlers purely making money from advertising instagram. Just pure entertainment and pure wrestling!
I wish abyss would have taken a break from tna in 06 or 08 whenever undertaker wanted to take him on at wrestlemania, if they had brought in abyss and didn't change him, played up that he was a former nwa champion and if they had james Mitchel come with him to sell him as a real monster it would have been so perfect
Some of the best storytelling in wrestling history. This didn’t feel like a wrestling match. It felt like a fight. It felt like a horror movie where the main hero needs to survive the monster. Fighting out of the cage made sense in this case because AJ is trying to weaken Abyss before having to be trapped in the cage with him. AJ Styles around this time was probably the best in the world and Abyss in 04-05 is one of the best big men ever.
AJ Styles among a few others are the ones that built TNA but AJ is on top of that list and he carried that company on his shoulders, once he left it fell down in a hurry.
Looking back on this, Abyss looked so much more threatening here then he does now. Maybe while he's away from the company for a while, he can try out that DDP yoga. It did wonders for other Wrestlers. Just look at Jake and Goldust right now. Might help Abyss in the long run to.
TNA: “We need a big monster character wrestler” Creators: “What if we dress this guy up like a cross between Mankind and Kane?” TNA: “Sure… but try not to make it obvious…”
People are saying TNA has been better, well I personally think it's picking up a bit. It's gone downhill a little since EC3 won the world heavyweight championship, but as soon as he loses it it'll pick up. Also, Velvet Sky is back, that's definitely a plus
Aj styles is something thats missing in the modern day wrestling, especially for high flyers. Instead of doing moves just because they can, he made it looked like he had to, the selling, the timing, the facial expression, body language, ring awareness, everything made sense. He and his generation of wrestlers just made wrestling seemed more realistic. Hes simply phenomenal.
You’re spot on. He makes it seem as if that’s the only way to defeat his opponent. He’s not trying to put on a “show.” He’s tryna win
"Modern Day Wrestling"?.. Compared to Ancient Wrestling?
Do you even know what Modern Day is?
The funny thing is though - back when AJ was new on the scene, a fair amount of people were saying the exact same kinda stuff about him. Flippy high flier guy, just doing moves because he can.
It all goes in a cycle. A few of those young fellas just doing moves will have it all click one day too.
Well... he's still here lol. Let's enjoy the final years of his career while we still have em. He looks better at 47 than many wrestlers at 37
TNA was at its peak here. I hate how far its fallen since then.
I know bro... 😢
oh the horror
Imagine your company failing when you had AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Beer Money, Abyss etc (Just talking TNA originals here).
After 2009 it went down hard
honestly its gotten better these past few years, obviously not 2005-2010 tna though
One of the best cage matches I have ever seen
TNA was so awesome from 2005-2009 Hulk came in and fucked it all up and TNA is struggling now.
TNA has been really good last couple years. Especially 2012 and 2014.
2016 started great so far
one good performer? TNA is loaded with great wrestlers. So you're honeslty saying guys like Drew, Lashley,the Wolves, Lee, Roode, Storm, Eli Drake are not good performers? you're just a troll
it ended when aj styles got beat in 2014
Eli Drake, Drew Galloway and EC3 are amazing and more charismatic than AJ Styles will ever be. Great wrestlers who can tell a fantastic story in the ring
lol ok sure
8:57 is one my favorite cage spots ever. to this day idk if aj got his hands up or not...... awesome sell though
best seller in the game is AJ Styles!
If he wrote a book, it could say "From the best selling author, AJ Styles..."
+darius rogers
I love how the TNA commentary sold it as well... it was great
+Gaming Palooza Empire *"OH MY GOD!! RIGHT IN HIS FACE!!!"*
The first time I saw AJ Styles was 2005 my jaw dropped to the ground watching him he has faced and beaten so many legends in his career they don't call him "Phenomenal" for nothing
I never seen anything like this version of AJ Styles. He definitely Top 5 of all time for me back in TNA
One of the best cage matches,not only in TNA but of all time!
This was when TNA was raising the bar each week.
TNA is awful now.
Final Flame Productions You area a moron TNA has been great for the last year
Chris Hill maybe only to you probably
Final Flame Productions I am a TNA fan but a wrestling fan more and I agree with you 100 hundred percent
This in my opinion is the best singles steel cage match in tna/impact wrestling history. Even more so, this match alone had 2 of the best biggest names in the company's history.
You're so right.
I miss Mike Tenay and Don West calling matches.
R.I.P Don West
this is the real tna
Always hated TNA after Hogan came and destroyed it....but AJ styles has always been an exceptional talent
Well He Was Pretty Much The Cornerstone Of The Company So It Makes Sense!!!
AJ Styles is the best wrestler in the world.
***** Good list basically the same for me but I replaced Okada with Adam Cole.
Austin Aries is way better!
why joke? what's better about styles?
styles and michaels are complete different type of wrestlers
AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Roman Reigns, and Kazuchika Okada are top 5 for me.
I miss the prime AJ but he is still great today
Prime AJ was a couple of years ago when he was beating Cena, etc. I watched him from the beginning and he's improved so much more today than people realise. In WWE he learned storytelling which took his game to another level.
Abyss best match, awesome match
2005 to 2009 TNA was fantastic...soon as Hogan and Bischoff got there they fell off a cliff
It was still OK I thought for about another 3 years before it bamecame really terrible lol
2 TNA originals against each other. But 2 different types of wrestlers. Perfect.
This is the TNA that true wrestling fans miss . Its a shame we will never get this product again .
Wow Abyss was in great shape at this time. You really see how much weight he's gained today and has really slowed him down.
This is literally TOTAL NONSTOP ACTION! In a blink of an eye you can miss the whole thing.
Shame, now it’s called “impact wrestling”
This was the Abyss that legit frightened me as a kid. I wouldn't wanna get anywhere near this Abyss. Now he's a damn comedy act.
I swear aj styles is the perfect wrestler he got the star power in ring abilities he's a good story teller his gear looks cool he looks cool his music is awesome he could sell moves like no other he could do what Shawn Michaels did and more because Shawn Michaels doesn't do any flips aj does and Shawn never did submissions aj does I swear he could do it all in the ring he's fast strong powerful athletic technical I could go on about how great he is when he steps into the wrestling ring but I'm done anyone else agree.
Kobemac 💯💯 no lie brotha..If booking in Tna was done right!!Aj would be a superstar on a national level instead of just to the hardcore fans
They dropped the ball with the Daniels-AJ feud after 2005 making them a tag team and then killing them off after 2006!!Then Daniels turned into a jobber and Aj became a jokester!!It pained me to watch how they messed up a feud that could have made them soo much money
+Kobe mac what feud did he have with Abyss besides this match right here?i kno they were tag champs for like a week in 2002 but that's it..The angle styles story was soo stupid!!!Why did they need to have Karen angle involved??They should have just booked Aj as a strong face before he became a lackey for cage and angle and Made angle a kickass type of heel like Samoa Joe was and then have them feud..The sting Aj feud was burnt out from all of the BS that went on in 2009!!(Foley was champ) smh they had an awesome match at turning point 2009 before the run ins began but their bound for glory match didn't deliver..tbh I stopped watching TNA in mid 2011 because of all the stupidity so i didn't really see the bully Ray stuff
+Derod2012 as far as the grand slam champion goes!!Yea that wasAwesome!!but how much did TNA endorse that?? ZERO!!Aj should have been the TNA World champion so many more times and not been in stupid feuds like with Daniels in 2012 or being away from TNA in 2013-2014..They should have been promoting the fact that he Samoa Joe and Abyss are all grand slam champions..But they are all Morons and now look at them..On the verge of being out of business and off TV
Shawn Michaels used to do moonsaults
I think Abyss was literally trying to peel off AJ's entire face in the most brutal way. And I doubt many kids went to bed... they super glued themselves to the sofa lol
AJ styles the best wrestler in the world!!!
This match had me mesmerised as a kid
I think 12:44 is one of the best sells ever. Straight up.
Schmitty300 Look at 8:57.. Hes phenomenal
One of my favorite TNA matches ever.
AJ Styles was in his bag at this time.
He wasn’t even at his peak greatness, and I think that we can honestly say that he was still one of the top 5 workers at that time.
he was young and fast wow
hes still just as fast
Mac Gee He can move just as fast now, go watch his match against Osperay. It's just that he focuses more on psychology now.
I think this is my favorite match of all time. I've been rewatching it about once a year for 17 years. It never gets old. Really loved this particular time in TNA and both of these guys.
When TNA Was Awesome...
MacIsBack still is
Chris Hill funny how you seem one of the few that still enjoy tna
+Otto lol 😁😅
AJ blew my mind around this time in 05 he was cold
8:53 Tenay’s over the top yelling was crazy!
RIP Don West
8:56 - How to sell 101.
I miss how Mike Tenay and Don West made these matches feel so alive. RIP Don West.
Mike and Don were so dramatic on commentary I love it
19:14 That was an epic crowd reaction
what a memory :') thank you TNA
One of the first matches that pulled me in as a kid
AJ Styles is Phenomenal. Then. Now. Forever.
Jesus fuckin AJ launching out of the cage before the match starts. Seriously what an incredible performer
These two MADE TNA.
Man channel 427 on sky. What time that was! Just pure wrestling with a website with a rooster. No wrestlers with social media influencers with a link to their only fans or wrestlers purely making money from advertising instagram. Just pure entertainment and pure wrestling!
10/10 Steel Cage Match
One Of The Best Cage Matches In T.N.A History
nah this might be one of the best TNA Matches ever!!!!
The commentators screaming when aj got hit with the cage door LOLL
this was cutting edge hyper action wrestling
I wish abyss would have taken a break from tna in 06 or 08 whenever undertaker wanted to take him on at wrestlemania, if they had brought in abyss and didn't change him, played up that he was a former nwa champion and if they had james Mitchel come with him to sell him as a real monster it would have been so perfect
Too much of an obvious copy of Kane’s masked era character and James Mitchell being Paul Bearer
Some of the best storytelling in wrestling history. This didn’t feel like a wrestling match. It felt like a fight. It felt like a horror movie where the main hero needs to survive the monster. Fighting out of the cage made sense in this case because AJ is trying to weaken Abyss before having to be trapped in the cage with him.
AJ Styles around this time was probably the best in the world and Abyss in 04-05 is one of the best big men ever.
TNA Lock down 2005 amazing ppv ever TNA best wrestler in the world.💕👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
this two awesome wrestlers are also the ones who wrestles on the debut show of TNA...until AJ left TNA...the show that made him a phenomenal
The chemistry between these two was amazing.
This match is sick!!!!!!
Aj Styles is the best wrestler in the world like this if you agree
i agree!!!1000%%%%%!!!!Im his biggest fan ever!!Im very obsessed with the phenomenal one aj styles!!💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💖💖💖💖
AJ Styles among a few others are the ones that built TNA but AJ is on top of that list and he carried that company on his shoulders, once he left it fell down in a hurry.
Wow I remember watching this while it came out
8:55 THIS COMMENTATOR LEGIT SNAPPED...SHEESH..
I liked AJ more when he had Short hair Idk why
Mac Gee I Know.....
one of the greatest matches ever
craig gordon not only one of the greatest matches ever but it was also one of the most memorable matches in AJ and Abyss' career.
thx you Tna for this free stuff
this was a hell of match
this is one of the best matches in tna I remember this match
22:10-EPIC Tenaygasm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
😂😂
Great match and, in my opinion, Abyss's best match ever
When Aj jumped over the fans....🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💯💯
There's a reason why he is called the Phenomenal one!!
Looking back on this, Abyss looked so much more threatening here then he does now. Maybe while he's away from the company for a while, he can try out that DDP yoga. It did wonders for other Wrestlers. Just look at Jake and Goldust right now. Might help Abyss in the long run to.
anthonydeadman do you mean he needs to lose weight or does he needs some stretching
A little of both.
This is 2005? Vince what were you thinking not going after him?!
awesome match
You aree, you areeee... I AM I AM
AJ phenomenal
and this is the matchup that got me into tna back in 2005. i never looked back since
Probably my favourite TNA match ever. I have a soft spot for this one.
AWESOME BLADE JOB!
TNA: “We need a big monster character wrestler”
Creators: “What if we dress this guy up like a cross between Mankind and Kane?”
TNA: “Sure… but try not to make it obvious…”
Beautiful
Aj Styles is truly best wrestler in the world. You are You are , I am Iam #P1
Back when Wrestling was WRESTLING
this is a really awesome match, nice job abyss and aj, of course you two are the winners :)
still in my opinion the best tna match i seen
An Instant Classic
Best match ever ☺️☺️
its sad to see a once main evennter like aj styles not being used correctly today
This is the first TNA match I ever saw
This gives me some hope AJ can hang with Lesnar at Survivor Series.
AJ is TNA ! he does need his break from building up the company for so long
aj is a freaking beast
BEST STEEL CAGE MATCH EVER, PERIOD!!
TNA = AJ Sting
Without them it isnt real TNA anymore
lol
Kurt Angle, Joe, AJ, and Sting ran TNA back then
Cheko Slovaki sting was with the company a short time he didnt do anything for the company
AJ STYLES is awesome
aj styles here looks like tom cruise frome top gun ir mission impossible 1
SS G yea he does.
Great match.. Back when TNA was actually good
que combate mas bueno excelente!!! :D
People are saying TNA has been better, well I personally think it's picking up a bit. It's gone downhill a little since EC3 won the world heavyweight championship, but as soon as he loses it it'll pick up. Also, Velvet Sky is back, that's definitely a plus
OMG Same Lool I Remember watching this back in 2005 and it was a hell of a night in TNA lool Aj was taking the roof of
Who would have guessed where he'd be right now?
I always wanted a Kane vs abyss match
Don't think it will ever happen
I miss this so much
Abyss!!!🥰😍🤩