AJ Styles On Hulk Hogan’s TNA Run: “I Think He Was Embarrassed”

AJ Styles appeared on the latest episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, where he discussed various topics, including his time in TNA Wrestling. As one of the company’s first true homegrown stars, Styles reflected on his impact and the evolution of the promotion.

He shared his thoughts on TNA’s signature six-sided ring, noting that while it helped set the company apart, it was surprisingly easy to take bumps in. Styles also opened up about his frustrations with Hulk Hogan’s influence during the early 2010s when Hogan was part of TNA Wrestling’s leadership.

Here are the highlights:

The TNA six-sided ring: “The six-sided ring was different. It made us different. It sucked as a ring. I didn’t realize how rough it was on my body until we got back to a squared ring and I was like oh my God. I forgot that these are much better to bump on the actual mat, because it’s pillars under the six-sided ring, so you can move them in and out. Where in a squared ring, it’s in the middle, that bounce, whatever you might get. You could take a bump right on that pillar, so you can imagine that hurts. There was a point in time where we were overseas, we were in England and it was a big show, Kurt and I were wrestling, and he was going to give me the belly to belly off the top. I remember taking that. I go I’m never taking that again. Don’t ask me Kurt, it’s killing me. And then of course we get the squared ring he’s like Hey, do you mind? I’m like, Oh, okay. He gave it to me in a squared ring and I was like, Oh. I landed and it was like nothing compared to what it was. I was like, Oh, I can take that. Right then and there, as pissed off as I was about going to a squared ring and abandoning the six-sided ring, it was at that moment I go, I’m okay with the squared ring now. But when you saw TNA and you saw a six-sided ring, you knew that was TNA. No one was doing that, maybe in Mexico, but we made it who we were. I think they lost their identity to a certain extent when they went to just a regular ring, just like everybody else.”

On whether he was approached by WWE while in TNA:“No one ever really said anything to me, but I’ll tell you, there was an instance. It was a big meeting. Dixie came out and basically said something to the fact of, if you don’t want to be here, we’ll let you go. At that moment, I looked over at Christian to see what he was going to do. This was 2008, 09, 10? I don’t know, somewhere around there. But I was watching him because I looked up to Christian, he’s amazing too. This guy is a ring general, for sure. I was watching him to see if he got up, because if he had gotten up, I would gotten up too. Hopefully he would have gotten me in the WWE or something.”

Why so many people left TNA at once:“They hired Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. I believe Eric was trying to do the right thing, to see where we’re at as far as getting more eyes on us that we’re growing. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way it was supposed to. We lost a lot of money. I think I was kind of pissed at Hogan at the time, because I was like, why doesn’t he talk about TNA? Why is he not helping us? He’s not advertising at all. He never talked about TNA. I was pissed, but I now realize I think he was embarrassed. It was embarrassing to him to talk about that, so he didn’t. I think Dixie was trying to do some things, and it was just they keep butting heads, so it just kind of fell apart, and when it fell apart, they lost a lot of money. When they lost a lot of money, they expected me to take a pay cut. My contract was up.”