Update on AJ Styles-TNA Slammiversary rumors

AJ Styles — the greatest homegrown star in TNA Wrestling history — could be returning to the promotion for an appearance this weekend.

Speculation that Styles will be appearing at TNA Slammiversary began this week when, while posting a tweet promoting the show, TNA President Carlos Silva was sure to capitalize the word “PHENOMENAL” — a possible reference to Styles. There has been no official announcement that Styles will appear, but Sports Illustrated’s The Takedown reports that several members of the TNA roster expect him to be at Sunday’s pay-per-view in some capacity.

“The Takedown has learned that a potential Styles appearance at Slammiversary has been in the works for some time now and was a top priority for the upper brass within TNA,” the report said. “The expectation among several members of the roster is that he will indeed be at UBS Arena for Slammiversary in some capacity.”

Styles is one of the most decorated wrestlers in TNA history but has not competed for the promotion since 2013. The 48 year old recently signed a one-year contract extension with WWE. An appearance at Slammiversary would be possible because of the growing working relationship that WWE has with TNA Wrestling.

The build to Slammiversary has been heavily featured on WWE NXT — and NXT stars Trick Williams and Jacy Jayne are competing in two of the top matches at the pay-per-view. Williams, the current TNA World Champion, is defending his title against Joe Hendry and Mike Santana in a triple threat match. Jayne and Masha Slamovich are facing off in a winner-take-all bout where the NXT Women’s Championship and TNA Knockouts Championship are both up for grabs.

Long Island, New York is hosting Slammiversary with the July 20 PPV set to take place at UBS Arena.