The prospect of AJ Styles making a return to TNA Wrestling grew substantially during the July 17th episode of TNA iMPACT!, where the company aired a video package teasing his appearance at TNA Slammiversary. This move escalates weeks of hints from company management into a direct on-screen signal.
The teaser centered on the return of the mystery box concept, a signature of Styles’ past TNA storylines. It included classic video clips from his original run with the company, featuring the commentary of the late Don West. The segment concluded with the box being opened to reveal Styles’ ring gear, with dust being blown off of it, strongly suggesting his comeback.
This on-air development follows a series of calculated remarks from TNA President Carlos Silva, who has consistently used the word “phenomenal” to describe the upcoming pay-per-view. When pressed by Fightful for confirmation about a potential appearance by Styles, Silva leaned into the speculation.
“It’s gonna be a phenomenal night. That is exactly what I would tell you. I love the word phenomenal and I’ve done a bunch of phenomenal things over the years and Slammiversary’s definitely gonna be phenomenal. Look, we’re all in the sports and entertainment space and we want to continue to build the excitement. I think Slammiversary is definitely going to be our biggest show ever. Some little pieces of that are all coming together to help make it the biggest night for sure.”
Currently signed to a WWE contract, Styles has not been featured on TNA programming since 2014. His potential appearance is the latest and most significant element of the ongoing partnership between TNA and WWE, which has already seen several NXT talents booked for the Slammiversary card. A return would mark a monumental moment for one of TNA’s most decorated figures, a multi-time World, X-Division, and Tag Team Champion.
👀#TNASlammiversary pic.twitter.com/hEWZEFveaH
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 18, 2025