Wrestling Forum banner

Is Styles doing too much in every match?

8K views 77 replies 52 participants last post by  The Renegade 
#1 · (Edited)
AJ Styles is unarguably the best in ring performer in WWE. But I do not find his matches as entertaining as HBK's neither am I as invested. Why? Here is why?

I feel like he is doing too much in every match trying to make it epic. Like doing too many flips and spots in a single match, after every match acting like he just had the biggest fight in his life. If you do too much, sometimes it looks choreographed. Every match can't be epic, you have to save some for the bigger ones. I mean HBK's moonsault gets me more excited than most these spots that AJ does. Because Michaels isn't doing it every single day. I can't help but draw comparison between these two to explain my point. Physically Styles is more capable than HBK but HBK has better ring psychology. Michaels does not show his full ability in every single match, he saves it for big moments. He makes what he does mean more.

For example Styles took that sister abigail at EC like nobody, it was great. But it didn't matter as much because that is what he does throughout the match.

I just think he needs to slow down a little and insert more psychology like HBK, so what he does would mean more. Otherwise he will just be looked at as someone who just gives good matches. Like just an in ring performer as opposed to a superstar. Thoughts?
 
See less See more
#3 · (Edited)
Too much?

Lol wtf. You are drunk. Styles is doing less than ever. He doesnt even look like he is trying anymore these days. He is working at 30% of his capacity right now.

He only has two high flying moves. Even Dean Ambrose goes to the top rope more than him nowadays.

There are about 10 different moves AJ Styles could pull out at any time that would make the crowd shout holy shit, that he has never done in the WWE. And these were moves he would spam regularly back in the day, which earned him the Phenomenal moniker.

AJ right now is trying to make matches as good as they can be while doing the least he can to physically preserve himself, since he isnt that young anymore. Its a testament to how amazing he is that even doing barely anything people still think he is outdoing everyone else who are pulling out all the stops.

EDIT: Look at all the shit AJ has (mostly) cut out of his moveset.

 
#7 · (Edited)
Too much?

Lol wtf. You are drunk. Styles is doing less than ever. He doesnt even look like he is trying anymore these days. He is working at 30% of his capacity right now.

He only has two high flying moves. Even Dean Ambrose goes to the top rope more than him nowadays.

There are about 10 different moves AJ Styles could pull out at any time that would make the crowd shout holy shit, that he has never done in the WWE. And these were moves he would spam regularly back in the day, which earned him the Phenomenal moniker.

AJ right now is trying to make matches as good as they can be while doing the least he can to physically preserve himself, since he isnt that young anymore. Its a testament to how amazing he is that even doing barely anything people still think he is outdoing everyone else who are pulling out all the stops.
The only high flying moves he uses now are the PF (finisher) and Superman :lmao

Still bumps like a madman though :lol

I hope he's saving those big moves for a match with Kenny.
 
#2 · (Edited)
AJ has slown down lmao, he's in there flipping around taking bumps like a mad man to make every match great. In terms of his actual best work, he's past his physical peak and doesn't want to take on those really risky spots anymore because he has a wife and kids to think about.

The reason he's doing most of the high spots is because of the quality of his opponents (Jericho, Reigns, Ambrose and Cena - hardly the elite).

The WWE have adopted the indy style of wrestling where a good match is built on high spots and finisher kick outs. No one appreciates psychology based matches which build up to those high spots anymore, sadly.
 
#25 ·
His style has completely evolved over the past few years. He has slowed it down but he has always been a master and a ring general although pepole wanted to label him a "spot monkey" that was never ever an accurate description. Just hating from people who didn't wanna give him his due cause he was a TNA guy and not an ROH or WWE guy.

If he ever ends up using the Spiral Tap in WWE it will truly be an epic moment for his fans that have been there since the beginning.
 
#9 ·
Styles isn't showing his full ability every match move-set-wise. In WWE we're still yet to see half of the stuff he can do - His moveset is already scaled way back in order to not overdo things.

Also it kind of sounds like you want him to no-sell more often so that when he does sell it's more significant. I can understand that, but I think it's just the fact that hardly anyone else sells properly/regularly these days that perhaps amplifies the fact that Styles does.

I think his psychology is good, too.


It sound like you just want Styles to take things a bit easier and not work as hard on non-PPV matches, which is already the case, but I suppose to an even greater degree. The issue is AJ in the ring is one of his biggest selling points. He could have more "average" matches like that one with Miz a few weeks back, but then what's going to seperate him from everyone else?
 
#43 ·
I am not talking about his move-set. I haven't seen his work in the past but with the way he is flying around in the ring I wouldn't be surprised if he pull out some new moves. I am talking about his entire physical ability, the way he sells, etc.

I do not want him to no sell, I just don't want him to over sell every freaking move and match. Let's leave HBK for now, I will take Triple H and Lesnar for example, both of whom are not considered in ring generals and compare their psychology with Styles's.

Just watch those three HHH v Batista matches from 2005. In ring wise the first two matches were just average but what great psychology and story telling. Fans were greatly invested in those matches because of the depth in their characters. Every single thing they did in their matches meant something to the story and the characters. By the end Batista came out as the biggest wrestling star. That is the psychology I am talking about.

Now to talk about Lesnar. He almost no sells everything even in some ppv matches. But God, did he sell that chokeslam from Taker in their SS 2015 match! That was great and I still remember it. Did he sell those spears and Jack hammer from Goldberg? It seemed like he was cut in half. Because it is Taker, it is Goldberg. When he sells it, he does great and makes it fucking matter. Tomorrow even if Goldberg spears Styles, he is going to take another one of those bumps like he did in Jericho's or any other match.

In WWE character work is more important and everything else be it, mic skills or in ring skills should compliment that. But when I think of AJ styles I think of an in ring performer rather than a character. That is not going to put him in that elite class.

I am not saying Styles should work less. I am saying he should slow down in the ring and insert more psychology in a way that compliments his character, and would mean more whenever he pulls off a high flying move or a crazy bump or an insane flip. That would make him a star. I hope styles adapts to this style over time.
 
#37 ·
Man, you have literally read my mind but its not just AJ (he might be a bit more guilty) but its pretty much everyone on the roster, Cena, Reigns, various tag teams especially Cesaro, Owens and so on. Its not just that eveyr match, even the weekly stuff on raw/sd but also how everything is sold as if its the most epic move ever! And then theres the kick out (every week from a finisher) and you end up with the wrestler doing a shocked expression.

This sort of stuff used to be only for the big matches, ppv main events etc or a big culmination of a rivalry. When Rock and Austin kicked out it was a genuine mark out moment, when Taker and HHH went back and forth and HHH kicked out of the last ride, it was like whaaat. When guys would go back and forth of a half hour, exhausted, selling like mad, it would be a ppv match and one between two top top guys. Now we get it on a regular basis on Raw.

Thing is, sometimes less is more, especially when trying to create epic moments.

Its why you can watch Jericho now and appreciate him so much more and honestly, hats off to Rollins for not giving away his best arsenal on weekly basis but saving it for the better ppvs. Less is more folks.
 
#8 ·
I do agree in part, it's why the WWE style revolves around the 5 moves of doom babyface comeback. Limit regular matches quality so the big matches stand out more.

AJ is a special case though in that he's what 39(?), and I'd imagine he wants to leave as big of a lasting impression as he possibly can while he can.
 
#10 ·
I do agree in part, it's why the WWE style revolves around the 5 moves of doom babyface comeback. Limit regular matches quality so the big matches stand out more.

AJ is a special case though in that he's what 39(?), and I'd imagine he wants to leave as big of a lasting impression as he possibly can while he can
.
Pretty much this, he has to balance it so he doesn't give away too much and that he takes care of his body so he can have a proper run.

There's still quite a bit he hasn't used yet and is probably waiting to pull out for bigger matches.
 
#41 · (Edited)
He's been alittle too spotty in WWE IMO, yes.

I don't even think this place knows what psychology means, tbh. Pyschology isn't doing a 450 splash off the top rope onto your opponent lying on a table on the outside of the ring.

:lmao :lmao :lmao

Jesus, guys. Cool it with the psychology when you have people doing that shit. He's still having quality matches, though. It's just here and there with the spottiness which is also in part to the WWE style.
 
#13 ·
HBK said the same thing about RVD but ironically enough hbk was overdoing it. But to answer your op no he doesn't. We still haven't seen fosbury flop, his front flip dive over the rope, springboard ssp etc. We have yet see what all styles can deliver. In b4 somebody tells to watch his tna matches I'll say this I watvhed styles when he was in roh teaming with matt sydal so I see what he can do.
 
#17 ·
HBK said the same thing about RVD but ironically enough hbk was overdoing it. But to answer your op no he doesn't. We still haven't seen fosbury flop, his front flip dive over the rope, springboard ssp etc. We have yet see what all styles can deliver. In b4 somebody tells to watch his tna matches I'll say this I watvhed styles when he was in roh teaming with matt sydal so I see what he can do.
He's done the springboard 450 a few times in WWE. And he's done a front flip dive to the outside too, if that's the one you're talking about and not the 450 to the outside.
 
#23 ·
Well, Styles doesn't do nearly as many "spots" he used to. Compared to what I saw in his early TNA days, he incorporates a lot more power moves and strikes than he does flying, even when he was a face when he first came in.

And as far as his bumping goes, that's one of the things that makes AJ special IMO. That Sister Abigail was the sickest I've ever seen simply because of how AJ sold it. He makes every match he's in better than it would be because of things like that.

And considering AJ has still had various classics since his debut, I don't really see the issue.
 
#44 ·
I feel what you're saying OP. It's not that AJ isn't talented he just gives too much, even though he's toned down he's still giving too much, especially for WWE. It would be like if HBK did his flip when Irish whipped into the corner every match or if Rock sold every finisher he ever received like he sells Mania time Stunner's. If AJ is selling super hard for midcarders and breaking out some high quality shit on regular TV. It's going to be lessened when he does it when it really should matter

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk
 
#48 ·
AJ Styles toned down his moveset ever since he arrived to the WWE... lol. If people are labeling Styles as a "spot monkey" right now then that's understandable if they have never seen his body of work in TNA, ROH, NJPW, PWG, etc. He likes to give the fans EVERYTHING he has in a match, every single match he has actually, whether it's a house show or PPV. That's what makes him so great. :)

I do understand what the OP is saying though... I mark out every time Rollins does his Phoenix Splash, Owens/Charlotte pulling off a Moonsault, etc. Showcasing these "unique" moves for big matches makes it awesome. :yay2

I'm also waiting for Styles to perform the Spiral Tap in WWE. :wink
 
#71 · (Edited)
I can totally see where OP's coming from, his main point being that AJ should sell ordinary moves less in order to make the big moves seem more impactful, and I agree 100% as well. At the end of the day IMO, I prefer that in-ring technique or workrate be an instrument in order to tell a wrestling story, instead of the purpose of the show itself. If we value the story more than workrate, then AJ shouldn't to sell just for the sake of it when the story doesn't call for it, even if he's totally capable of selling in such a beautiful way and make any move seem to hurt like hell whenever he wants.

A so-called "workrate priortized product" does seem to have a good amount of followers these days though, so I wouldn't say that WWE should cease catering to these people at all like some of the radical "anti-workrate" crowd have been clamouring for, as the only thing that should determine what they SHOULD do is whether it's "best for business". In this case though, if AJ does gradually reduce his selling to some extent when it comes to ordinary moves, it wouldn't really make that much of a difference since I really don't think his "selling of standard moves" specifically is among the main reasons why he's regarded as a great performer by either the workrate-prioritizing crowd or the rest, and if anything it does help his "selliing of big moves" stand out more, and thus improves the psychology in his match and actually conditions people into regarding him as the same great performer while doing less than before. So I really see nothing wrong in what the OP suggests.
 
#38 ·
This keeps getting brought up but the OP isnt simply talking about the number of moves but how they're sold and how ever week there are these "epic" matches or moments for what? For nothing in reality. It lessens what happens on a ppv because we would have seen it 8 timesi n a month already.

To better explain it, its like the continuous give away of big matche on the weekly shows, so when they finally happen on the ppv, whatst he point? weve seen it at least 3 times already.
 
#42 ·
OP, we're in an era where you do some moves (!) and all of your signature spots in a match no matter what. If you miss it then you go back to it. It's something that quite annoys me but that's just how wrestling evolved and it's never going back to the way it was. Shawn's heyday may not have felt like too long ago but things have drastically changed. Also, IT'S FUCKING FAKE, so just roll with it :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ace
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top