• Original Plan For AJ Styles At TNA Slammiversary 2025
AJ Styles’ return to TNA at Slammiversary 2025 was one of the most talked-about wrestling moments of the summer, but it turns out the segment fans saw almost played out very differently. The original plans for AJ’s appearance went through some big last-minute changes, with sources pointing to WWE’s involvement in those decisions.
Insiders told Sports Illustrated’s Jon Alba that the first idea was to have Styles participate in a segment with fellow TNA veteran Frankie Kazarian. This would have been a nostalgia-heavy reunion for longtime fans. But just hours before the show aired, those plans shifted. Some people within TNA believe WWE might have stepped in because they didn’t want to tease a storyline or a match with a current main roster talent – something TNA wouldn’t realistically be able to deliver given WWE’s tight grip on their stars.
Instead, what ended up happening was still a good moment: after Leon Slater captured the X-Division Championship from Moose and became the youngest X-Division Champion ever at the age of 20, Styles made his entrance. He congratulated Slater, paid tribute to the X-Division, and celebrated TNA’s legacy – a fitting nod considering his own history making that title what it is today, as AJ became the inaugural X-Divison Champion in 2002. TNA President Carlos Silva clarified afterwards that, no matter the tweaks, the core idea was always to honor AJ’s roots in the X-Division and his historic place in TNA’s story.
Interestingly, Styles’ return to TNA came while he’s still an active, involved star on WWE RAW. He will face Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 2025.
• “Good Riddance” – Goldberg’s Former Opponent Is Bothered By Bill Complaining About Retirement Match
On Busted Open Radio, TNA wrestler Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler in WWE) criticized Bill Goldberg for complaining about his WWE retirement match: “He had the simplest lay up to, exactly like you said, ‘Thank you, everybody. Most people don’t get this, I am so grateful. I got this opportunity to go out. Man, Gunther, you’re going to be in the Hall of Fame someday.’
All you do is say some nice things for others, other than yourself, for one time ever. And I, everyone would be like ‘You know what? That Goldberg, he wasn’t that bad of a dude. No, he wasn’t just someone that took. You know what, he’s a good guy,’ and he could’ve ended it.
But he had to say, ‘Me, me, me, I. Nobody worked. Nobody got this together enough for me.’ And it’s really… it bothers me, because I know everybody in all locker rooms, independent and professional companies, that go, ‘Are you effing kidding me right now? You got it on a platter.’
And so many people will never get that moment, and he just couldn’t say, ‘You know, I could’ve… it could’ve been a little bit better. I could’ve fixed this. I could’ve been in 2% better shape. I could’ve helped more.’ Nope. ‘They did this, they did this. I, I, I, the Goldberg show.’ Good riddance.”
At SummerSlam 2019, Goldberg squashed Dolph Ziggler in just 1 minute and 50 seconds.
Also Read: Current WWE Personality Rips Goldberg For Complaining About Retirement Speech
