New backstage details have come out regarding AJ Styles’ surprising appearance at TNA Slammiversary, revealing the segment fans saw was not the one originally planned for the WWE star.
Last-Minute Creative Changes
According to a report from Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated, multiple sources within TNA confirmed that Styles was originally scheduled to be in a segment with longtime rival and TNA original, Frankie Kazarian. However, that plan was reportedly dropped just hours before the show went live. TNA sources believe WWE may have had some influence on the change, as they likely did not want to hint at a future TNA match for Styles that they had no intention of delivering on.
Spotlighting The X-Division’s Past And Future
TNA President Carlos Silva told Sports Illustrated that while the creative direction “went through a few changes,” the intention was always to spotlight Styles’ legendary history with the X-Division. The final segment saw Styles make his first TNA appearance in over a decade to endorse Leon Slater, who had just won the TNA X-Division Championship from Moose.
The one-night-only TNA appearance by Styles occurred while he is in the midst of a program on WWE Raw. He will challenge Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio for the title at SummerSlam.
