AJ Styles has looked back on the power struggle that happened behind the scenes in TNA between Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett, and assessed the Carter era of the promotion.
Carter, who invested in TNA in the early years of the promotion, became an on-screen figure a few years later, which is when Styles began working alongside her in storylines. On “The Phenomenally Retro Podcast,” Styles said that there were some good things that happened in TNA while Carter was in charge, but detailed how the backstage issues between her and Jarrett created tension behind the scenes.
“There was good stuff, but there was also some friction because I think she wanted to be part of the writing [team] and say, ‘Hey, I really want this.’ But not understanding wrestling the way that Jeff did, you know, Jeff Jarrett, it was like, ‘That doesn’t make any sense. We don’t need to do that right now.’ I didn’t realize this until after what Jeff was going through, dealing with some of the things that he had to deal with. So, knowing what I know now, I think it was very difficult for him and very stressful because she wanted certain things that weren’t necessary, or needed, or made sense at all,” he said.
Styles was grateful to Carter for making him a world champion in TNA, but he also pointed to some storylines that didn’t quite make sense, citing the Claire Lynch storyline as an example. Despite his falling out with Carter, Jarrett has forgiven Carter for the breakdown of their relationship and accepted some responsibility for things going sour.
Read the full article here
