Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977) popularly known as A.J. Styles is a professional wrestler from the United States, who is currently under a contract with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Although he may not be as big as his colleagues in the wrestling world, he has proven to be a very capable performer in most of the major promotions in America, winning numerous titles. This article on AJ Styles biography and facts present the childhood, professional wrestling career and personal life of the WWE superstar.
Table of Contents
AJ Styles Biography Quick Facts, Age
Here are some biography quick facts that you need to know about the American WWE superstar.
- Full name: Allen Neal Jones
- Ring names: AJ Styles; Mr Olympia; Air Styles
- Date of Birth: June 2, 1977
- Age: 46 years old
- Place of Birth: Jacksonville, North Carolina
- Nationality: American
- Height: 180cm (5 ft 11 inches)
- Weight: 99kg (218 lbs)
- Education
- High School: Johnson High School
- College: Anderson University
- Occupation: Professional Wrestler
- Weight Divisio: Heavyweight
- Debut: 1998
- Wrestling Career: 1998 till date
- Marital Status: Married
- Wife: Wendy Jones (married 2000)
- Children
- Sons: Ajay Covell Jones; Avery Jones; Albey Jones
- Daughter: Anney Jones
- Zodiac: Gemini
AJ Styles Childhood & Early Life
Allen Neal Jones was born in Marine Corps Base Camp, Lejeune, in the state of North Carolina on the 2nd of June 1997. Jones often described his childhood as “hell” because they lived in abject poverty and had a very abusive dad who was an alcoholic, so Jones grew up hating his father.
He attended Johnson High School which was in Gainesville in the state of Georgia and graduated in 1996. After his graduation from high school, he got into Anderson University on a partial wrestling scholarship. But Jones decided to quit school and try professional wrestling, so he joined a wrestling school, and was mowing lawns and driving an ambulance to support himself.
AJ Styles Professional Wrestling Career & Achievements
Early Years
With Rick Micheal as his trainer, Jones joined the NCW (National Championship Wrestling) of Georgia. He made his debut in the NCW in 1998 wearing a mask and using the ring name Mr Olympia, and by August 1999 he had won its Television Championship. NCW then merged with the NWA, to become NWA Wildside then Jones was given a new ring name AJ Styles, and he soon became an NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion.
AJ Styles continued to perform in the lesser Independent Promotions until 2002. After trying out for the WWF on three separate occasions, he was given a contract and assigned to the Ohio Developmental Territory but he declined the offer because he did not want to impede on his wife’s plans for college. So AJ Styles went on to Australian WWA (World Wrestling All-Stars) and did matches winning the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship but had to vacate the title.
Rising of Honor (ROH)
Styles rose quickly, and was soon performing at the main events of the ROH, he then challenged Low Ki for the ROH World Championship but lost the match at the Honor Invades Boston event. He then became the first person to win the Number One Contender’s Trophy but it was seen as second to the promotion’s world championship title. He, however, went on to win the ROH Tag Team Championship with Amazing Red after defeating The Prophecy but had to vacate the title when the Amazing Red got injured.
Styles made a second bid for the World Championship title and challenged Samoa Joe for the title, but he was defeated at War of the Wire. He then became the ROH Pure Wrestling Champion after defeating Jimmy Rave, Matt Stryker and CM Punk at the main event to mark the ROH Second Year Anniversary. Styles successfully defended the title in a rematch against Punk at his final match for 2004 and had to vacate the title when TNA withdrew all their signed wrestlers from the Promotion.
Total Nonstop Action (TNA)
Styles first signed a non-exclusive contract with TNA in May 2002 but lost his debut against the Flying Elvises after forming a trio with Low Ki and Jerry Lynn. He soon became the first TNA X Division Champion after defeating the Psicosis, Jerry Lynn and Low Ki. His partnership with Jerry Lynn also earned the both of them the NWA Tag Team Championship.
Styles had his eyes on the NWA World Championship, but he was unsuccessful. He joined the X Division Championship and soon won the X Division Championship for a third time after defeating Frankie Kazarian, but he lost the title in a rematch. Styles later won the title again for the fourth time, after beating Petey Williams and Chris Sabin at The Final Resolution. Throughout his time with the TNA, Styles became a six-time X Division Champion, and was finally crowned the TNA World Champion in 2009. A title he held on to for 211 days before losing to Rob Van Dam. He was a part of the TNA until 2014 when he joined the NJPW.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)
Styles signed a contract with the NJPW and had his first match on the 6th of April where he used his special Styles Clash move to attack Kazuchika Okada, he then challenged Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Styles who also had a full schedule working as an independent wrestler for other promotions could only perform at the main events of the NJPW.
Styles became the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at the Wrestling Dontaku, defeating Okada with the help of Yujiro Takahashi, becoming the second American Wrestler after Brock Lesnar to win the title. After two successful title defence with both rematch against Okada, Styles suffered his first loss to the same opponent in his first match of the G1 Climax tournament of 2014. This loss made him not to qualify for the finals despite losing only once in 9 other matches. He finally lost his IWGP belt to Hiroshi Tanahashi, with his IWGP reign being the shortest in history.
Styles became the IWGP Champion for the second time in 2015 after defeating Tanahashi in February 2015 and was defeated in his second title defence by Okada, after 5 months of holding the belt. He performed in several other matches before he left the promotion in January 2016.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
Styles who was supposed to return to the TNA after leaving the NJPW, finally got an offer too good to refuse from the WWE, and he made his debut at the Royal Rumble entering the brawl at No 3, bringing down Tyler Bree and Curtis Axel before he was defeated by Kevin Owens. Styles then defeated Chris Jericho and formed a partnership with him as the Y2AJ.
The Y2AJ defeated The New Day in two separate non-title matches, before unsuccessfully challenging them for the WWE Tag Team Championship, with Jericho attacking Styles and ending their partnership and starting a feud. The two went on to interfere at each other’s matches until the feud was settled in a match which Styles lost to Jericho.
Styles was then drafted to the SmackDown brand and defeated John Cena at the SummerSlam (for the second time, the first being at the Money in the Bank event) and proclaimed himself the Face of WWE. Following his victory, Styles was in the running for the WWE World Championship, winning his first WWE title after defeating Dean Ambrose. The WWE World Championship title became the 8th world title of his wrestling career.
Styles defeated Ambrose in a rematch and defended his title successfully for the third time after defeating Ambrose and John Cena in a triple threat match and held on to the title for 140 days before finally losing it to John Cena. By the 7th of July 2017, Styles won his first United States Championship by defeating Kevin Owens at the 2nd attempt. 16 days later he successfully defended the title, but lost it 2 days later to Owens at the Backgrounds event, before starting his 2nd reign as the U.S Champion after defeating Owens and Jericho in a triple threat match.
AJ Styles Wife, Kids, Personal Life.
Styles has been fully devoted to his wife for a very long time. AJ Styles got married to his wife Wendy Jones in 2000. Two years later, he had a development contract with the WWE in Heartland in 2002 which he turned down because he didn’t want to be away from his wife who was just about to start college. Such devotion is admirable especially in the world of wrestling where their marriages don’t get to last long.
The couple is blessed with four children Ajay Covell Jones born on the 3rd of May 2005, Avery Jones who was born on Valentine’s day in 2007, Albey Jones was born on the 15th of September 2009. Their only daughter Anney Jones was born on the 8th of October 2014 and the whole family lives in Gainesville Georgia.
Jones has always been a devout Christian and a big fan of Christian Hip Hop, and also loves playing video games and is an active internet streamer on ‘Mixer’ under the moniker ‘STYLECASH’ with over 16,000 followers.
SEE MORE: Biography facts, career and personal life of famous WWE Superstars
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