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AJ Styles – April 10, 2021
Allen Neal Jones, who has gone by the ring name AJ Styles since 1999, would see a delayed introduction to WWE after he turned down their contract offer in 2002. He rose to acclaim in TNA and spent nearly 12 years as one of their cornerstone stars before leaving following a contract dispute.
After two years in the Indie circuits, Styles made his widely speculated WWE debut on January 24, 2016, at the 2016 Royal Rumble as the third entrant, one of the most shocking moments in the history of the PLE.
“The Phenomenal One” began living up to his nickname immediately, feuding with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, and John Cena. His first WWE championship in his career came just over seven months later on September 11, 2016, at Backlash, where he defeated Dean Ambrose, becoming the first modern-day wrestler to win the WWE Championship without having wrestled in NXT.
Styles completed his quest to become a Grand Slam Champion on April 10, 2021, at WrestleMania 37 after winning the Raw Tag Team Championship with Omos.
Styles has won eight WWE championships to date and is the current Tag Team co-champion alongside Dragon Lee. He is the first wrestler to be crowned Triple Crown and Grand Slam Champion in TNA history, and the first Grand Slam winner to be crowned in both WWE and TNA. After a decorated career, Styles announced two months ago that 2026 would see him exit the ring and retire.
