�Reported by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com

On Monday, July 18, 2005 at 12:26 AM EST

Brian Kelley of AudioWrestling.com sent in the following recap...

The “Phenomenal” AJ Styles was a guest on this week’s edition of Monday Night Mayhem which can be heard in streaming audio every week exclusively on the AudioWrestling.com site, the exclusive legal home of the "Spring Break Incident" VOD featuring Stacy Keibler!
Don't miss this week's Wrestling News Live on AudioWrestling.com (live this Sunday 7/17 at 11P.M. est. and archived later in the week)! This week's guests are TNA's Outlaw (formerly Billy Gunn), plus WWE Diva finalist Ashley will grace the WNL airwaves! There is a packed chat room to interact in while the live show is in progress every Sunday at 11P.M. est. on AudioWrestling.com

The MNM interview with AJ Styles is now available to hear for FREE in Real Audio only on AudioWrestling.com

Here are highlights from the interview provided by the show's co-host Shawn Walters of www.MondayNightMayhem.com and www.AudioWrestling.com.

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The Big Mosh and The Angry Hero welcome the “Phenomenal” AJ Styles to the show, marking his second time on the Mayhem. AJ will be taking on Sean Waltman, with Jerry Lynn as special guest referee at TNA’s No Surrender PPV this Sunday. He will also be appearing at the Ballpark Brawl IV: fridaynightSMASH, defending his Natural Heavyweight title against the “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels this Friday in Buffalo, NY. Things have been quite hectic for AJ the past few months, not only keeping up with his busy wrestling schedule but the arrival of his new son.

AJ shares with crew what it’s like being not only a full-time wrestler but also a new parent. He feels it’s the hardest thing he’s ever had to do in his life, managing his career and duties as a father. Instead of being able to rest after a full schedule, AJ now tends to his son, who recently experienced a case of the colic. But in the end, for AJ, when his son smiles, everything is alright.

AJ talks about his forthcoming match with Christopher Daniels at the Ballpark Brawl IV (www.ballparkbrawl.com) in Buffalo, NY where he will be defending his Natural Heavyweight championship. He puts over Daniels as one of the best wrestlers in the world, without a shadow of a doubt and the two know each other quite well from their numerous matches over the years. AJ says the fans can expect a lot of different counters and they definitely won’t be disappointed at the end result.

Getting into this Sunday’s PPV, No Surrender, AJ discusses his match with Sean Waltman, featuring Jerry Lynn as the referee. AJ is glad to see Jerry back into the mix after a serious shoulder injury and thinks as a ref, Jerry would play to his advantage, given their past friendship. As for Sean, AJ describes him as a very unpredictable opponent and urges the fans to “expect the unexpected” this Sunday.

AJ says it was satisfying to win the title from Jeff Jarrett at Hard Justice, preventing him from attaining a year-long reign as champion. He does point though that while he did lose the title to Raven in the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary, he was never actually pinned in that match nor was he pinned when he lost the X title to Christopher Daniels.

Describing what its like to be known as “Mr. TNA” (contrary to what Christopher Daniels has to say), AJ says he feels obligated to go out there and give the TNA fans what they paid for. He thinks he is fortunate to have had great opponents to work with and puts over the exciting notion bringing in new talent, some expected and some unexpected.

On a related note, AJ addresses the influx of new (or soon to be new) TNA talent, with Angry Hero mentioning Rhyno and Samoa Joe. While AJ can’t speak on Rhyno’s status, he is very happy to see Samoa Joe in the promotion since he could work well with the X Division and its heavyweight competitors.

Mosh brings up the potential match-ups for AJ with some of the recently released WWE wrestlers, particularly Charlie Haas and Billy Kidman. AJ admits to not really knowing a lot of their wrestling capabilities since they never got the chance to explore that in the WWE where shorter matches are the standard. He would like to see these recent WWE releases on the indies and in Ring of Honor, where the fans appreciate the true form of wrestling a bit more. Overall, AJ looks forward to mixing it up with some of the competitors (after 90 days of course), notably Charlie Haas, whom he has met personally beforehand.

AJ thinks the rekindling of the TNA/ROH relationship is “great” since it is beneficial for the exposure of both companies. One of the distinct advantages is for ROH, who could see some of their top stars make an impression on TNA programming much like Samoa Joe has of late. AJ is excited to be back in front of the ROH fans and has had positive vibes all around.

Talking about the forthcoming second installment of the Best of AJ Styles DVD, AJ has some ideas about what matches to go on there and hopes to have an active role in the finished product. In addition, AJ is eager to include footage of what he’s like out of the ring as well inside the squared circle.

Stemming from a discussion over AJ’s match at last year’s Ballpark Brawl with Teddy Hart and Sabu, AJ talks about Sabu and his tremendous contribution to the business. He feels without Sabu, there would be no table spots and hardcore wrestling wouldn’t be as prominent as it is today. AJ puts over Sabu as a hard worker and places a lot of trust into his opponent to be there for him when does his insane stunts and dives.

AJ gives his impressions on Dusty Rhodes and working with legendary wrestlers, including Sting and Larry Zybysko. To AJ, Dusty has always been there for him and his ideas as a booker didn’t taint AJ’s view of him. As for the legends, AJ was fascinated to learn from them; how they work, how they sell. He remembers his match with Larry and how he was getting schooled by Larry in holds that he’d never experienced before. AJ is grateful to have worked with the legends he has, especially since they aren’t obligated to show him as much respect as they actually have.

On the topic of the X Division and its impact on the promotion, AJ says that within minutes of watching TNA, one would know what the X Division is all about. It sets them apart from all other promotions, blending both pure wrestling and high flying acrobatics. AJ says the X Division offers some of the best athletes in the business, not the usual “Joe Blow muscle heads” people are used to.

In closing, Angry Hero gets AJ’s thoughts on the title of this Sunday’s PPV, No Surrender, claiming it’s too “80’s rock band-ish.” AJ agrees, saying the title reminds him of the Karate Kid. Mosh points out that September’s TNA PPV is entitled Unbreakable, which leads AJ and the crew to ponder what TNA wrestlers would play Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson from the movie of the same name.

Be sure to catch AJ Styles taking on Sean Waltman, with Jerry Lynn as special guest referee this Sunday at TNA’s No Surrender on PPV. In addition, AJ will be taking on Christopher Daniels this Friday at Ballpark Brawl IV in Buffalo and Roderick Strong for ROH this Saturday in Bridgeport, CT. Visit www.stylesclash,com as well as www.tnawrestling.com for more on the “Phenomenal” AJ Styles!!

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You can hear Monday Night Mayhem in its entirety every week only on www.AudioWrestling.com

Make sure you mark your calendars for next week’s edition of the Mayhem, with scheduled guests, one half of the Midnight Express, “Sweet” Stan Lane as well as WWE Hall of Famer and current manager of the NWA Tag Team champions, the Naturals, the legendary Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart!