AJ Styles Is Interested In A Return To TNA, Natalya Reacts To Upcoming NWA Appearance, WWE RAW Ratings (2/25/25)
AJ Styles, who was a key figure in TNA Wrestling from 2002 to 2013 and achieved Grand Slam Champion status, has expressed interest in returning to TNA for a one-off appearance. However, he is uncertain if this will come to fruition.
While appearing on a recent edition of the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast, Styles expressed his desire to return. He said,
“I don’t know. I’d like to. I think it’d be fun to do something like that, like a one-off. I would definitely do it.”
He added, “He [Vince] never watched any matches outside of WWE because nothing else existed except for WWE,” said AJ. “I’m sure when he was first trying to start WWF and get everybody he wanted, I’m sure then maybe he saw matches. But once he’s rolling and it’s WWE, I guarantee you, he watched nothing else, but it feels like Triple H watches everything. I think he had a better idea of who guys and girls were and bringing them in. But that’s what we need. You have to evolve, and a lot of people think, ‘Oh, he’s just picking and choosing what he wants,’ but if you’re in TNA or something smaller, and someone has the opportunity to go to WWE, how many people are going to want to work for TNA to maybe get an opportunity, and that’s just helping TNA get bigger stars and whatnot, maybe get more money in the long run, it just helps everybody. People are going to go where there’s an opportunity to better their lives.
“I left New Japan, which I thought so much of. I really love that place because I was coming home and the opportunity to make more money was there. People are going to do that. You’re not going to stop them unless you’re able to offer them something that’s somewhat closer to that money. So I think it just benefits everybody with TNA, NOAH being able to work with them. Omos was just in NOAH. He’s going to learn over there, and he’s going to bring that back to WWE. It’s going to work well for him in WWE, the things that he didn’t know. You learn different styles. It’s good.”
Earlier today, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) announced that WWE Superstar Natalya would compete at the NWA Crockett Cup on May 17th. NWA COO Joe Galli shared this news during an appearance on the “Busted Open Radio” podcast, also revealing that the event would take place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA. He said,
“I’ve got something a little extra for you folks, something that I know we’re excited for, something we’ve been working on for a long time, and I’m very humbled, I’m very appreciative, and I know Billy Corgan is too for this opportunity, but WWE star Natalya will making an NWA debut at the Crockett Cup. On behalf of Billy Corgan, I just want to say we are humbled, and we are so thankful for Paul Levesque and Nick Khan, everybody in the WWE and TKO that helped make this possible.”
Natalya also discussed her pending arrival in the NWA. She stated,
“For me to do this NWA show, I’ve literally moved heaven and earth to be a part of this because Billy is such a good friend of mine, I’ve known Billy since 2006. So he’s somebody that’s just believed in me from the very beginning of my career and just really motivated me and wanted me to always fight for my dreams. It’s funny because a few months ago, Bubba [Ray Dudley] had said some stuff about me, that I hadn’t done enough, that I wasn’t doing enough, and that I should be doing more. He was a little abrupt, he was a little blunt, and in a lot of ways, I’ve thought about the things that Bubba said, and Bubba wasn’t wrong. Bubba wasn’t wrong in the sense that I’ve wanted to do so much more, and this opportunity with NWA, it’s just a chance for me to show what I’ve always had and I never lost. I just want to do so much more, I want to be so much more. I’ve moved heaven and earth to do this show. I love Billy Corgan. My grandfather had a very close connection with NWA. But I just want to do so much more and be so much more. So that’s a huge catalyst to me doing this, and of course, I feel like NWA is just a very special promotion that I can really sink my teeth into and I can show the world that I’ve never lost it, it’s always been inside of me, it’s always here, and I’m ready to really just unleash in a way that people haven’t seen.”
On February 24, 2025, WWE RAW garnered 2.6 million global views for the week, ranking eighth worldwide and sixth in the United States on Netflix. This marked a slight decrease from the previous week’s 2.8 million views, where RAW ranked tenth globally and fifth in the U.S.
Since its transition to Netflix in January 2025, WWE RAW has consistently ranked within the platform’s top ten most-watched programs globally. For instance, the February 10 episode also achieved 2.8 million views, placing eighth globally and fifth in the U.S.
(h/t – Fightful)
