Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by the ring name A.J. Styles (or AJ Styles), is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. He is best known for his 12-year tenure working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), along with his work in Ring of Honor (ROH) between 2002 and 2016, and in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) from 2014 to 2016 as a member and the third leader of Bullet Club.
Styles made his professional wrestling debut in 1998, and briefly appeared in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. He wrestled internationally before joining the NWA: Total Nonstop Action promotion, later renamed TNA, upon its foundation.
While in TNA, Styles held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice. He was also the inaugural TNA X Division Champion, a title he has held six times. Styles held the TNA King of the Mountain Championship twice: once when it was called the TNA Legends Championship, and once when known as the TNA Global Championship. Styles is also a decorated tag team wrestler, having been a six-time world tag team champion in his career, winning the NWA World Tag Team Championship four times and the TNA World Tag Team Championship twice.
By winning the TNA X Division, NWA World Tag Team, and NWA World Heavyweight Championships, Styles was the first to complete the TNA Triple Crown Championship. Styles went on to complete this Triple Crown five more times, and is the only performer to accomplish this more than once. His victory over Booker T for the TNA Legends (then Television) Championship made him the first man to have ever won the TNA Grand Slam Championship, which he has done twice. He is also the only performer in TNA history to have held every male championship owned and/or sanctioned by TNA throughout its history. All totaled, Styles has held 19 championships in TNA. In 2010, he became the first TNA-contracted wrestler to be ranked #1 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual PWI 500 list.
Styles ended his long association with TNA in 2013 after his contract expired, returning to ROH, where he is a former Pure Wrestling and Tag Team Champion. In March 2014, Styles signed a non-exclusive deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and took the promotion's top championship, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, in his first match with the company. Between TNA, ROH, and NJPW, Styles has held seven world championships and 23 championships, overall. Concurrent with his NJPW and ROH work, Styles also performed on the independent circuit, where he held numerous additional championships as well, for a total amount of 51 championships.
Styles first appeared in WWE (then WWF) in 2002, but turned down a developmental deal with the company. He signed a multi-year contract with WWE over 14 years later in January 2016 and made his return in that month's Royal Rumble match. This makes him the first professional wrestler to have wrestled in WCW, TNA, ROH, NJPW, and WWE.
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