Career Timeline of AJ Styles: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how AJ Styles made an impact.
Allen Neal Jones, known as AJ Styles, is a prominent American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE, performing on the Raw brand. He is recognized for his in-ring skill, athleticism, and successful career across multiple promotions, including TNA and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, before joining WWE. Styles has won numerous championships and accolades, establishing himself as one of the top wrestlers in the industry.
1998: Professional Wrestling Debut
In 1998, Allen Neal Jones debuted as a professional wrestler and competed in various independent promotions.
1998: Training and Debut
In 1998, Allen Neal Jones was trained by Rick Michaels and debuted in the Georgia-based National Championship Wrestling (NCW) promotion as Mr. Olympia.
August 1999: Television Championship Win
In August 1999, Jones, wrestling as Mr. Olympia, won the Television Championship in the National Championship Wrestling (NCW) promotion.
December 1999: Formation of NWA Wildside
In December 1999, National Championship Wrestling (NCW) merged with NWA Georgia to form NWA Wildside, and Jones was renamed A.J. Styles.
March 5, 2001: WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Tournament
On March 5, 2001, on Nitro, Air Styles (AJ Styles) and Air Paris entered a tournament for the newly created WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship but were eliminated in the first round by Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo.
July 9, 2001: First WWF Tryout Match
On July 9, 2001, Styles had his first World Wrestling Federation (WWF) tryout match against his trainer, Rick Michaels, before the taping of Raw. Styles won with a Shooting Star Press but was not offered a contract.
October 26, 2001: All Pro Wrestling's King of the Indies Tournament
On October 26, 2001, Styles participated in All Pro Wrestling's King of the Indies tournament, defeating Jardi Frantz in his first-round match but was eliminated by Christopher Daniels in the quarter-finals the following night.
November 13, 2001: Xcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF) Debut
On November 13, 2001, Styles debuted in Xcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF), competing in a battle royal against Billy Fives, Christopher Daniels, Juventud Guerrera, Kid Kash, Prince Iaukea, Psicosis and Quick Kick for the XWF Cruiserweight Championship, but was unsuccessful in winning the title. Later that night, Styles defeated Josh Mathews in a match taped for XWF television. The following night, Styles was defeated by Daniels, again in a match taped for the XWF television program.
December 22, 2001: NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship Win
On December 22, 2001, at Christmas Chaos, A.J. Styles defeated Rick Michaels for the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship.
2001: Mainstream Exposure in WCW
In 2001, Jones gained initial mainstream exposure after joining World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
February 24, 2002: WWA Pay-Per-View Debut
On February 24, 2002, Styles debuted for Australian promotion World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA), making his pay-per-view debut at The Revolution against Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, Shark Boy, Super Nova and Tony Mamaluke in a six-way cruiserweight survival elimination match, in a losing effort.
May 2002: TNA Signing and X Division Championship Win
In May 2002, Styles was signed to a non-exclusive contract by NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA). He appeared on the first weekly TNA pay-per-view, teaming with Low Ki and Jerry Lynn and losing to The Flying Elvises (Jimmy Yang, Jorge Estrada and Sonny Siaki).
2002: Ring of Honor (ROH) Debut
From 2002 to 2006, Jones appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he became the inaugural ROH Pure Champion.
2002: First WWF Appearance
In 2002, Jones first appeared in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) but declined a developmental contract.
2002: ROH Debut and Main Event Status
In 2002, Styles debuted in Ring of Honor (ROH) at its third show, A Night of Appreciation, and quickly became a main eventer.
2002: WWF Metal and Smackdown Appearances
In 2002, Styles made two more appearances for the WWF: on the January 26 episode of Metal (taped on January 21), in a losing effort against The Hurricane, and a dark match before the January 27 episode of SmackDown! (taped on January 22), where he was defeated by Rico Constantino. After these matches, WWF offered Styles a developmental deal contract, which would require Styles to relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio, where the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) developmental territory was located. Styles ultimately declined the deal, as the move would interfere with his wife's college plans. Despite this, Styles wrestled one non-contracted match for HWA, on February 19 against Matt Stryker in a losing effort.
2002: ROH Matches Featured on DVD
In 2013, ROH released AJ Styles - Styles Clash, a 2-disc DVD featuring Styles' best ROH matches from 2002 to 2005.
February 2003: ROH First Anniversary Show
At the First Anniversary Show in February 2003, Styles competed against Low Ki and Paul London in a three-way match, which was won by London.
July 2003: NWA World Heavyweight Championship Title Defenses
Throughout July 2003, AJ Styles successfully defended his NWA World Heavyweight Championship in multiple matches against various opponents including D'Lo Brown. This occurred after he won the title on June 11 earlier in the year, before dropping it back to Jeff Jarrett on October 22.
February 4, 2004: NWA World Tag Team Championship Win
On February 4, 2004, AJ Styles teamed with Abyss and won the NWA World Tag Team Championship after defeating Kevin Northcutt and Legend. This win occurred after Styles demanded a title shot and Don Callis forced him into a tag team with Abyss.
March 20, 2004: IWC Super Indy Champion
On March 20, 2004, AJ Styles returned to IWC, entering the promotions Super Indy Survivor Showdown tournament. Styles defeated CM Punk in the semi-finals and Colt Cabana in the final to capture the IWC Super Indy Championship.
2004: Ted Petty Invitational winner
In 2004, AJ Styles returned to IWA: Mid-South and won the 2004 Ted Petty Invitational. On October 21, Styles won the vacant IWA: Mid-South Heavyweight Championship, but lost the title to CM Punk two days later on October 23.
January 16, 2005: X Division Championship Win
On January 16, 2005, at Final Resolution, AJ Styles defeated Chris Sabin and Petey Williams in an Ultimate X match to win the X Division Championship for a fourth time.
2005: TNA Super X Cup Tournament and X Division Championship Win
In 2005, AJ Styles participated in the TNA Super X Cup Tournament and eventually earned a title shot. He defeated Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels at Unbreakable in a three-way match to become the X Division Champion for a fifth time.
2005: ROH Matches Featured on DVD
In 2013, ROH released AJ Styles - Styles Clash, a 2-disc DVD featuring Styles' best ROH matches from 2002 to 2005.
February 12, 2006: X Division Title Match
On February 12, 2006, AJ Styles was unsuccessful in retaining the X Division title in a triple threat match, also featuring Daniels, at Against All Odds.
September 17, 2006: AAA Debut
On September 17, 2006, AJ Styles debuted for Mexican promotion AAA as part of a cross-promotion deal between TNA and AAA. Team TNA, including Styles, defeated Vipers Revolution in a semi-final tournament match and later defeated The Mexican Powers in the finals.
2006: ROH Career End
From 2002 to 2006, Jones appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he became the inaugural ROH Pure Champion.
2006: ROH Tag Team Championship Shot
In 2006, at the Fourth Anniversary Show, Styles and Sydal received their shot at the ROH Tag Team Championship, but were unable to defeat the champions.
January 14, 2007: Last Man Standing Match
On January 14, 2007, Rhino defeated AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing match at Final Resolution during their feud.
December 20, 2007: IGF Appearance
On December 20, 2007, AJ Styles competed in the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF)'s third event, defeating fellow TNA star Senshi as part of TNA's working relationship with the promotion.
January 6, 2008: Joins The Angle Alliance
On January 6, 2008, at Final Resolution, AJ Styles joined The Angle Alliance after struggling to choose between aligning with Christian Cage and Kurt Angle, ending his association with Team Cage.
July 26, 2008: CMLL Debut
On July 26, 2008, AJ Styles debuted for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), taking part in the promotion's last annual 16-man elimination International Gran Prix tournament as part of Team International. Styles defeated Rey Bucanero but was eliminated by Último Guerrero.
2008: NJPW Appearances
In 2008, AJ Styles made four appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) during a partnership between TNA and NJPW. Styles teamed with Christian Cage and Petey Williams to defeat RISE on January 4 at Wrestle Kingdom II. He also lost to Hiroshi Tanahashi on February 17 and teamed with Shinjiro Otani to face Kurt Angle and Masahiro Chono on August 15. The following day on Day 6 of New Japan's G1 Climax, Styles teamed with Tanahashi to face the team of Kurt Angle and Shinsuke Nakamura, again in a losing effort.
2008: TNA Impact! Video Game Development and Release
In 2008, Styles helped develop the first TNA wrestling video game known as TNA Impact!, which was released the same year on September 9.
January 22, 2009: Tables Match and Injury
On January 22, 2009, Kurt Angle vowed to end AJ Styles' career and subsequently beat Styles in a tables match on Impact!, resulting in a storyline injury for Styles.
2009: Bound for Glory Headliner
In 2009, Jones headlined Bound for Glory, the flagship event of TNA.
January 4, 2010: TNA World Heavyweight Title Defense
On January 4, 2010, AJ Styles successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Kurt Angle on an episode of Impact! after winning it on September 20, 2009.
February 3, 2011: Fortune Turns Face
On February 3, 2011, Fortune, including AJ Styles, turned face by attacking Immortal during a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match, signaling a shift in alliances.
December 16, 2011: AAA Return
On December 16, 2011, AJ Styles returned to AAA at Guerra de Titanes as part of the TNA invasion storyline. He faced El Mesías in a match to earn a shot at the AAA World Heavyweight Championship, but was unsuccessful.
January 5, 2012: Fortune Ends
On January 5, 2012, Kazarian abandoned AJ Styles and aligned himself with Christopher Daniels during the final match of the Wild Card Tournament against Magnus and Samoa Joe on Impact Wrestling, effectively ending Fortune.
2012: Bound for Glory Series
In 2012, AJ Styles entered the Bound for Glory Series and was eliminated in the opening gauntlet match by Daniels. He also unsuccessfully challenged Daniels and Kazarian for the TNA World Tag Team Championship at No Surrender on September 9 and Bound for Glory on October 14 and was eliminated in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series after losing to Samoa Joe on the August 30 episode of Impact Wrestling.
February 2013: The Lone Wolf Gimmick
In February 2013, TNA began airing videos at Styles' home interviewing his wife and a friend. Styles, sporting a beard, unkempt hair, and all-black attire, returned to TNA with the Calf Killer submission hold as his new finisher. His new gimmick was nicknamed "The Lone Wolf", rejecting joining Aces & Eights.
November 3, 2013: TNA World Heavyweight Championship defense in AAA
On November 3, 2013, AJ Styles returned to AAA, successfully defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a rematch against El Mesías.
November 16, 2013: Wrestle-1 Debut
On November 16, 2013, AJ Styles made his debut for Japanese promotion Wrestle-1, successfully defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Seiya Sanada.
2013: Bound for Glory Headliner
In 2013, Jones headlined Bound for Glory, the flagship event of TNA.
2013: Bound for Glory Title Opportunity
On November 11, 2013, at Turning Point, AJ Styles was pinned by James Storm in a three-way number one contender's match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, also involving Bobby Roode. He was prevented from receiving another title opportunity until Bound for Glory 2013 as per the pre-match stipulation.
January 2, 2014: Return to TNA
On January 2, 2014, Styles returned to TNA with his championship to confront Carter and Magnus. Styles challenged Magnus to a title unification match.
January 4, 2014: Ring of Honor Wrestling Return
On January 4, 2014, AJ Styles defeated Roderick Strong in his return match on the taping of Ring of Honor Wrestling.
March 1, 2014: Preston City Wrestling Appearance
On March 1, 2014, AJ Styles appeared for English promotion Preston City Wrestling, losing to British wrestler Lionheart. He then gave Lionheart the Styles Clash, resulting in Lionheart breaking his neck due to improper execution of the move.
March 27, 2014: Reported Return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling
On March 27, 2014, it was reported that AJ Styles would return to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) after the TNA-NJPW partnership in 2008, and he signed a contract with the company.
2014: Established as a Top Talent
In a article, The Independent columnist Ayub Nouinou stated that Styles had "established himself as one of the best talents on the planet over the last two years (2014 and 2015)" before joining WWE.
January 4, 2015: Match against Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 9
On January 4, 2015, AJ Styles faced Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 9 in Tokyo Dome, where Styles was victorious.
March 11, 2015: FWE Heavyweight Champion
On March 11, 2015, AJ Styles defeated John Hennigan to win the FWE Heavyweight Championship. Styles won two falls to one.
May 29, 2015: House of Glory Win
On May 29, 2015, IWGP Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles defeated Justin Gabriel at House of Glory High Intensity 4 in Jamaica, New York.
2015: King of Trios Tournament
In 2015, AJ Styles debuted for Chikara, teaming with The Young Bucks in the King of Trios tournament. They reached the semi-finals but were defeated by Team AAA.
2015: Established as a Top Talent
In a article, The Independent columnist Ayub Nouinou stated that Styles had "established himself as one of the best talents on the planet over the last two years (2014 and 2015)" before joining WWE.
January 4, 2016: IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match and NJPW Notice
On January 4, 2016, AJ Styles unsuccessfully challenged Shinsuke Nakamura for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Later that day, he gave notice to NJPW that he was leaving the promotion to sign with WWE.
January 14, 2016: Match against Rey Mysterio and 5 Star Wrestling Championship Match
On January 14, 2016, AJ Styles faced Rey Mysterio for 5 Star Wrestling in Sheffield, England, defeating Mysterio. He also competed for the inaugural 5 Star Wrestling Championship but lost to John Morrison.
January 20, 2016: Signing with WWE Confirmed
On January 20, 2016, it was confirmed that AJ Styles had signed with WWE after discussions with TNA. Prior to this deal, he had agreed to return to TNA with Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, but WWE offered him a 'blow-away deal'.
January 23, 2016: Final Independent Appearance
On January 23, 2016, AJ Styles made his final independent appearance before working for WWE at ROH's TV tapings in Duluth, Georgia. At the tapings, Styles was interrupted by Jay Lethal, The House of Truth, and Roderick Strong. Styles' former Bullet Club stablemates assisted him against various members of the ROH roster. At the end of the show, Styles joined Bullet Club in a group hug, mirroring the famous 1996 WWF Madison Square Garden "Curtain Call".
2016: WWE Return and Championship Win
In 2016, Jones returned to WWE and won the WWE Championship twice.
2016: Signing Considered One of the Greatest
In 2016, The Independent columnist Ayub Nouinou stated that pertaining to Styles' WWE signing "the addition of Styles would have to be considered one of the greatest signings since the turn of the millennium".
January 28, 2018: WWE Championship Defense at Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles successfully defended the WWE Championship in a handicap match against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
January 27, 2019: WWE Championship Match at Royal Rumble
On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles failed to win the WWE Championship after Rowan attacked him, allowing Daniel Bryan to retain the title.
2019: Turned Face
On the December 20, 2021 episode of Raw, AJ Styles was attacked by Omos, ending their partnership and turning face for the first time since 2019.
January 26, 2020: Royal Rumble Match Entry and Elimination
On January 26, 2020, at the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles entered the Royal Rumble match at number 18 but was eliminated by Edge.
2020: Drafted to Raw brand
In 2020, during the October draft, AJ Styles was drafted back to the Raw brand and debuted his new bodyguard, Omos.
January 31, 2021: Royal Rumble
On January 31, 2021, at the Royal Rumble, AJ Styles entered the Royal Rumble match at number 25, but he was eliminated by Braun Strowman.
December 2021: Turned Heel
In December 2021, AJ Styles turned heel for the first time since December 2021 by interfering in the Elimination Chamber match.
January 29, 2022: Royal Rumble Appearance
On January 29, 2022, at Royal Rumble, AJ Styles entered at number one and eliminated six wrestlers before being eliminated by Madcap Moss.
2023: Drafted to SmackDown
As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, AJ Styles was drafted to the SmackDown brand and competed for the newly established World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions.
January 27, 2024: Failed to Capture Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
On January 27, 2024, at Royal Rumble, AJ Styles failed to capture the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship from Roman Reigns in a fatal four-way match also involving LA Knight and Randy Orton.
February 1, 2025: Royal Rumble Appearance and Brand Transfer
On February 1, 2025, at Royal Rumble, AJ Styles made his first appearance since October, entering the titular match at number 21, where he eliminated LA Knight before being eliminated by Logan Paul. Two days later he was transferred to the Raw Brand.
July 20, 2025: TNA Slammiversary Appearance
On July 20, 2025, at TNA Slammiversary, AJ Styles made his first appearance at a TNA event in eleven years, congratulating Leon Slater.
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