K.J. Styles
From Iwe
KJ Styles | ||
Styles in April 2016 | ||
Birth name | Kevin Neal Jones | |
Born | June 2, 1978 (age 41) Jacksonville, North Carolina, United States | |
Residence | Gainesville, Georgia, United States | |
Spouse(s) | Wendy Jones | |
Children | 4 | |
Professional wrestling career | ||
Ring name(s) | Air Styles K.J. Styles KJ Styles Mr. Olympia | |
Billed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |
Billed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | |
Billed from | Gainesville, Georgia | |
Trained by | Rick Michaels | |
Debut | 1998 |
Kevin Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), best known by the ring name K.J. Styles (also stylized as KJ Styles), is an American professional wrestler currently signed to IWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name KJ Styles (also stylized as K.J. Styles).
Long regarded as one of the world's best professional wrestlers,< Styles has headlined numerous pay-per-view events internationally. Styles debuted in 1998 and competed for various independent promotions, before gaining his first mainstream exposure in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. From 2002 to 2014, he became widely known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), who described him as "the cornerstone of the company since the inception in 2002". Within that organization, Styles held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice and was the inaugural titleholder of the X Division Championship, which he won six times. Styles is the first professional wrestler to complete the TNA Triple Crown (five times) and the TNA Grand Slam (two times).
In 2010, Styles became the first TNA-contracted wrestler to be ranked number one on the annual Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) PWI 500 list. He simultaneously appeared in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2002–2006, where he became the inaugural ROH Pure Champion. In 2014, Styles signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and won his first of two IWGP Heavyweight Championships in his debut match, later becoming the third leader of the Bullet Club. Styles has also won various titles on international independent circuits, including the PWG World Championship.
Styles first appeared in IWE (then the International Wrestling Federation, or the IWF) in 2002, but turned down a developmental contract he was offered with the company. He signed a multi-year contract with IWE fourteen years later in January 2016, making his re-debut that month and going on to win the IWE Championship in September. Both PWI and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON) voted him Wrestler of the Year for 2016 and in 2017 he was inducted into the WON Hall of Fame. With his second IWE Championship victory in Manchester, England in November 2017, Styles was recognized by IWE as the first wrestler to win the title outside of North America. At 371 days, this reign is the longest in SmackDown history under the brand extension, shattering the previous record of 280 days held by John Bradshaw Layfield from 2004–2005. The reign is also recognized as the eighth-longest overall (tied with Brady Savage's 1988–1989 reign).
Contents
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[edit] Early life
[edit] Professional wrestling career
[edit] Early career (1998–2002)
[edit] Ring of Honor
[edit] Early years (2002–2004)
[edit] Feud with Jimmy Rave (2005–2006)
[edit] Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2002–2014)
[edit] NWA World Heavyweight Champion (2002–2004)
[edit] X Division Champion (2004–2005)
- Main article: KJ Styles and Christopher Barnhart
[edit] Various alliances (2007–2009)
- Main article: KJ Styles and Kanta and TNA Front Line
[edit] TNA World Heavyweight Champion (2009–2010)
[edit] Fortune (2010–2012)
Main article: Fortune
[edit] Final storylines (2012–2013)
[edit] Mexican and Japanese partnerships (2006–2013)
[edit] Return to the independent circuit (2003–2012)
[edit] Return to ROH (2013–2016)
[edit] Second return to the independent circuit (2014–2016)
[edit] New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2014–2016)
- Main article: Bullet Club
[edit] IWE
[edit] Championship victories (2016–2017)
[edit] Year-long IWE Championship reign (2017–2018)
[edit] Reunion of The Club (2019–present)
[edit] Reception
[edit] Other media
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Television
Year | Series | Role | Notes |
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[edit] Music videos
Year | Artist | Song | Role |
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[edit] Video games
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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[edit] Web
Year | Series | Role | Notes |
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[edit] IWE Network
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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[edit] Personal life
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- All Access Wrestling
- AAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Ballpark Brawl
- Natural Heavyweight Championship (1 time
- Christian Wrestling Federation / Christian Wrestling Entertainment
- CWF/E Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Independent Professional Wrestling (Florida)
- IPW Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- International Wrestling Cartel
- IWC Super Indies Championship (2 times)
- Independent Wrestling Revolution
- IWR King Of The Indies Championship (1 time)
- Maximum Pro Wrestling
- Max-Pro Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
- Midwest Pro Wrestling
- MPW Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- New Korea Pro Wrestling Association
- NKPWA Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Wildside
- NWA Wildside Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NWA Wildside Television Championship (3 times)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Christopher Barnhart
- PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2010
- Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Christopher Barnhart
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Jerry Lynn (1), Abyss (1), and Christopher Barnhart (2)
- TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2 time)
- TNA X Division Championship (6 times)
- TNA Legends/Global/Television Championship (2 times)
- TNA World Tag Team Championship (2 time) – with Kanta (1) and Matt Borske (1)
- Bound for Glory Series (2013)
- Gauntlet for the Gold (2007 – Tag Team) – with Tomko
- First TNA Triple Crown Champion (5 times)
- First TNA Grand Slam Champion (2 times)
- Feud of the Year (2005) vs. Christopher Barnhart
- Finisher of the Year (2003) Styles Clash
- Match of the Year (2006) with Christoher Barnhart vs. Homicide and Hernandez at No Surrender, September 24, 2006
- Match of the Year (2009) vs. Sting at Bound for Glory, October 18, 2009
- Mr. TNA (2003–2005)
- Tag Team of the Year (2006) with Christopher Barnhart
- X Division Star of the Year (2004)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- 5 Star Match (2005) vs. Samoa Simpson and Christopher Barnhart at Unbreakable on September 11
- Best Flying Wrestler (2005)
- Best Wrestling Maneuver (2003, 2015) Styles Clash
- Most Outstanding Wrestler (2014, 2015)
- Pro Wrestling Match of the Year (2014) vs. Minoru Suzuki on August 1
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact!
- Wrestler of the Year (2015)
[edit] Notes
^a When Styles won the championship, it was called the IWE World Championship. During his reign in December 2016, it was renamed to IWE Championship.