claim: A.J. Styles is a professional wrestler.
evidence: Allen Neal Jones -LRB- born June 2 , 1977 -RRB- , best known by the ring name A.J. Styles -LRB- also stylized as AJ Styles -RRB- , is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE performing on the SmackDown brand .. ring name. ring name. professional wrestler. Professional wrestling. WWE. WWE. SmackDown. WWE SmackDown. brand. WWE brand extension. Styles , who has long been regarded as one of the world 's best professional wrestlers , is widely known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling -LRB- TNA -RRB- from 2002 -- 2013 , where he was dubbed `` Mr. TNA '' .. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Impact Wrestling. While in TNA , Styles held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice .. NWA World Heavyweight Championship. NWA World Heavyweight Championship. three times. List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions. TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship. twice. List of Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champions. He was also the first X Division Champion , a title he held six times .. X Division Champion. Impact Wrestling X Division Championship. six times. List of Impact Wrestling X Division Champions. Styles is the first professional wrestler ever to complete the TNA Triple Crown -LRB- five times -RRB- and the TNA Grand Slam -LRB- two times -RRB- .. professional wrestler. Professional wrestling. TNA Triple Crown. Triple Crown ( professional wrestling )#List of TNA Triple Crown Champions. TNA Grand Slam. Grand Slam ( professional wrestling )#TNA Grand Slam Champions. In 2010 , Styles became the first ever TNA-contracted wrestler to be ranked number one on the annual Pro Wrestling Illustrated -LRB- PWI -RRB- PWI 500 list .. Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Pro Wrestling Illustrated. PWI 500. Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500. He simultaneously appeared in Ring of Honor -LRB- ROH -RRB- from 2002 -- 2006 , winning the ROH World Tag Team Championship -LRB- with Amazing Red -RRB- and becoming the first ROH Pure Champion .. Ring of Honor. Ring of Honor. ROH World Tag Team Championship. ROH World Tag Team Championship. Amazing Red. Amazing Red. ROH Pure Champion. ROH Pure Championship. In 2014 , he signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling -LRB- NJPW -RRB- and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his first match with the company , later becoming the leader of the Bullet Club .. New Japan Pro-Wrestling. New Japan Pro-Wrestling. IWGP Heavyweight Championship. IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Bullet Club. Bullet Club. He has also competed extensively on the independent circuit , winning titles such as the PWG World Championship and the RPW British Heavyweight Championship , among many others .. independent circuit. independent circuit. PWG World Championship. PWG World Championship. RPW British Heavyweight Championship. RPW British Heavyweight Championship. Styles first appeared in WWE -LRB- then the World Wrestling Federation , or the WWF -RRB- in 2002 , but turned down a developmental deal he was offered with the company .. WWE. WWE. developmental deal. Farm team#Professional wrestling. He signed a multi-year contract with WWE fourteen years later in January 2016 , making his re-debut at that month 's Royal Rumble pay-per-view event .. WWE. WWE. Royal Rumble. Royal Rumble. pay-per-view event. List of WWE pay-per-view events. After appearing at his first WrestleMania that April , Styles headlined multiple pay-per-view events en route to winning his first WWE Championship at Backlash in September , holding the title up until 2017 's Royal Rumble in January .. WWE. WWE. Royal Rumble. Royal Rumble. WrestleMania. WrestleMania. that April. WrestleMania 32. pay-per-view events. List of WWE pay-per-view events. WWE Championship. WWE Championship. Backlash. Backlash ( 2016 ). Royal Rumble ( 2017 ). Also in 2016 , both PWI and Wrestling Observer Newsletter voted Styles as the `` Wrestler of the Year '' .. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Wrestling Observer Newsletter