TNA 'Slammiversary: Fade to Black' – AJ Styles Was Never Meant To Compete

“We follow the wrestler live, from the locker room to the gorilla …not scripted, not staged,” said the company. Of this unscripted experience your Nygma watched, we learn a few interesting things about what happened the night of Slammiversary . One of the reasons was that AJ Styles was never meant to compete that night.

Slammiversary 2025 was an “internal goal.”

TNA Wrestling President Carlos Silva confessed to the whole TNA locker room and teams that Slammiversary has been the goal since he arrived. “When I joined in January, we targeted tonight as everything that we would start doing, as we would build all of this together. We went to LA together (Rebellion PLE), and we kicked a-- in LA.”

He added, “Now, we’re in New York City in a brand new arena, with Championship banners on the ceiling from other teams that play here. Tonight, we’re going to set history for TNA; we’re going to sell it out. The place is going to be rocking, and it’s because of everything you all do in the ring. So, thank you again for making it happen.”

Later, to the camera, he confirmed his words, “We all like to win, but winning is sometimes single or a double. It’s not always a home run, but we set our goals. I think it’s great for all of us to come together and say, ‘Hey, guess what now? This was the biggest Slammiversary ever. It was the biggest show in TNA history. I think everyone can keep that badge, that’s like a mark on the hard work that everyone’s done.”

Best Friends Make The Best Opponents

Despite all the negative things said and done in the iMPACT Zone, Mustafa Ali had nothing but praise for Cedric Alexander. “Wrestling can be very lonely sometimes, and friendship is very special to me. And Cedric is a very special friend, and I think the friendship comes from being in the trenches.”

Ali adds: “At the most important stages of our career, when we first had our breakout moments, we’re competing in live events, pay-per-views, and WrestleMania, it was with him. Like, you go out with the guy, and somehow it brings you closer. He and I haven’t been able to do that for a very long time. I’m just glad I got one more good memory to think about, especially with my time here at TNA.”

No plans for AJ Styles to Compete

AJ Styles came back to TNA Wrestling to find a brand new company. “There’s a time when they forgot where they came from, and by no means are the same people that own it today. They wanted to be something different rather than something who we were, and at the end of the day, it cost them. If we just stayed on the path, who knows where we’d be right now.”

He added, “It’s different, but I’m glad to see that now everybody’s pulling for us. That was the first time in a long time I’d seen the whole company watching the same match because they were so interested in what was going to happen. That’s awesome. They’re pulling for each other. You want that. You don’t have to worry about people stabbing each other in the back to get to the top. No, they want you to be there. They want to see everybody there. They want to see everybody have a great match. That’s how you become a successful company. That’s what it takes, as long as that’s available and ready and people can see it, TNA’s gonna grow.”

Never was AJ Styles coming back to TNA to compete. Even if the locker room was saying, “welcome back,” it was only for the Leon Slater segment. “Tonight was a perfect night for me. It was an opportunity for me to come and see the fans face-to-face, something I haven’t done in a really long time. WWE said, “Yeah, sure, go do that.” You don’t see that every day. So, the opportunity just to come and visit and share some time with them was pretty amazing. I hope there’s something special as far as the match goes, but I can’t promise that I can promise you tomorrow what’s gonna happen to me. I can tell you this: I was very excited. Even I had the butterflies tonight.”