The six-sided ring was once synonymous with TNA Wrestling, but AJ Styles has little desire to return to the hexagonal setup. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Styles explained just how painful the ring could be.
“There was a point in time where Kurt [Angle] and I were wrestling and he was gonna give me the belly-to-belly off the top. I remember taking that and I go, ‘Never taking that again. Don’t ask me, Kurt!’”
Styles and Angle wrestled multiple times during their TNA careers, and when Angle later suggested the move again—this time in a traditional squared ring—Styles reluctantly agreed. To his surprise, the landing was far more forgiving.
“He gave me it in a squared ring and I was like, ‘Oh.’ I landed and it was nothing compared to what it was.”
Styles had been angry about TNA moving from six sides to the squared ring at first, as the six sides had set TNA apart from countless other promotions. Once he took the top rope move from Angle, Styles’ view change, as he shared “‘Eh, I’m okay with the squared ring now.'”
While Styles isn’t a fan of the six sides, he acknowledged the design as a defining part of TNA’s identity.
“We made it who we were. I think they lost their identity to a certain extent, when they went to just a regular ring.”
Now approaching a decade in WWE, Styles’ days inside the six-sided ring are well behind him. Still, the memories—both painful and meaningful—remain a lasting part of his career.
Thomas Lowson is a content writer operating from the north of England. A fan of over 20 years, Thomas has been writing professionally since 2018 and has a degree in Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University. In 2023, Thomas was part of the press crew that covered AEW All In: London, the largest wrestling event to date in the United Kingdom. When not writing, he enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.
