======================================================= FIRE PRO WRESTLING RETURNS CHARACTER GUIDE: A.J. STYLES ======================================================= for Sony PlayStation 2 (U.S.) Version 1.4 by Bill Wood (billwood661@ca.rr.com) Last modified: 12/27/07 Fire Pro Wrestling Returns (c) 2005 Spike (c) 2007 Agetec NOTE: This guide views and prints best with a monospace typeface. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA =================== ==VERSION HISTORY== =================== 1.4 - Minor corrections. 1.3 - Minor additions and corrections. 1.2 - Finally! This guide has been updated to be consistent with the North American release of Fire Pro Returns. Minor additions and corrections as well. 1.1 - Strategy additions. 1.0 - Initial release of the guide. ===================== ==TABLE OF CONTENTS== ===================== SECTION 1: HISTORY OF A.J. STYLES SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS SECTION 3: MOVELIST SECTION 4: STRATEGY SECTION 5: CLOSING ===================================== ==SECTION 1: HISTORY OF A.J. STYLES== ===================================== It may seem tough to write a bio on a young wrestler whose career has only just begun, but in the case of The Phenomenal A.J. Styles, the task is much easier given his accomplishments to date. Styles' wrestling career began on the American independent circuit, where he made a name for himself with his high-risk athletic style. He was a frequent competitor for the Ring of Honor championship in that promotion's earliest days and had an impressive performance in the 2002 ECWA Super 8 tournament, losing out to future Pro Wrestling NOAH mainstay Donovan Morgan in the finals. The powers that be in Stamford, Connecticut (that's WWE territory for the uninitiated) took notice of Styles, offering him a developmental contract that paid a paltry $500 a week. Realizing he could do more for himself by sticking to the indies and continuing to boost his rep, A.J. declined the WWE offer, choosing to tough it out in the place where he got his start. This decision may have proven to be a wise one, as it wasn't long after that that Jeff Jarrett's upstart TNA promotion came calling. And instead of insisting that Styles work his way from the bottom up, they decided to immediately feature him as a prominent part of their roster, promoting him as one of professional wrestling's talented new stars. From there, A.J. went on to become a multi-time X Division and NWA Heavyweight champion, beating Jarrett himself for the victory. But perhaps more importantly, Styles -- along with new faces such as "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (who appears as his Japanese alter-ego Curry Man in FPR) and Samoa Joe -- became the TNA poster boys for a new generation of wrestlers, a daring new breed whose high-paced, energetic in-ring style was a refreshing change of pace. By establishing himself as one of TNA's biggest impact players, A.J. Styles has poised himself to become one of wrestling brightest stars. What the future has in store, only time will tell. ======================================== ==SECTION 2: SKILL AND PARAMETER STATS== ======================================== SKILL ----- Real Name....................A.J. Styles FPR Name....................Andy Spirals Organization.........................TNA* FPR Organization.....................AWG FPR Group.......................USA Free Size...............................Small Class.............................Junior Height............................173 cm Weight.............................90 kg Gender..............................Male Birthdate......................1/22/1977 Country..........................America Rank...................................C Charisma...............................C Stance.........................Technical Fight Style.......................Junior Return............................Junior Critical........................Finisher Special.............................Guts Recovery...................Medium (Good) Recovery (when bleeding)............Slow Breathing.........................Medium Breathing (when bleeding)..........Below Spirit............................Medium Spirit (when bleeding)..............Weak Neck Endurance....................Normal Arm Endurance.....................Normal Back Endurance....................Normal Leg Endurance.....................Normal Movement Speed...............Medium Fast Up and Down Speed............Medium Fast Ascent Style.........................Run Weapon.............................Chair * = There is no TNA organization in Fire Pro Returns by default, you'll have to create it. PARAMETER - OFFENSE PARAMETER - DEFENSE ------------------- ------------------- Punch.............4 Punch.............5 Kick..............3 Kick..............4 Throw.............6 Throw.............6 Joint.............7 Joint.............6 Stretch...........7 Stretch...........6 Power.............4 Flying............6 Agility...........6 Body..............5 Arm...............3 Lariat............3 Technical.........7 Technical.........7 Rough.............3 Rough.............4 MMA Overall.......3 MMA Overall.......5 Entertain.........1 Entertain.........9 ------------------- ------------------- OFF. SUB-TOTAL...54 DEF. SUB-TOTAL...66 TOTAL SKILL POINTS (on a scale from 0-380): 180 ======================= ==SECTION 3: MOVELIST== ======================= Specialty moves are marked with [S]. Finisher is marked with [F]. KEY: ([]) = Square button (X) = X button (O) = Circle button STRIKES ------- Standing ([]).................................Low Kick Standing (X)...............................Middle Kick Standing (O) + d-pad....................Rolling Lariat Standing (O).........................Spinning Dropkick Standing ([]) + (X)..........................ENZUIGIRI [S] Running ([]).........................Spinning Dropkick Running (X)..............................Flying Lariat Running (O)...............................Spinning DDT Running Counter ([]).................Spinning Dropkick Running Counter (X)......................Drop Toe Hold Running Counter (O)..........................Powerslam Running to corner....................Spinning Dropkick Co-op Irish whip to corner...........Spinning Dropkick Corner-to-center attack...........................None GRAPPLES -------- Grapple ([]).............................Backhand Chop Grapple ([]) + Up............................Body Slam Grapple ([]) + Left/Right...................Armbreaker Grapple ([]) + Down........................Flying Mare Grapple (X)...................................Headlock Grapple (X) + Up...........................Brainbuster Grapple (X) + Left/Right...................Short Elbow Grapple (X) + Down...........................Leg Sweep Grapple (O)..............................COMPLETE DUST [S] Grapple (O) + Up............Delay Vertical Brainbuster Grapple (O) + Left/Right................Diamond Cutter Grapple (O) + Down.......................SPIRALS CRUSH [F] (a.k.a. "Style's Clash") Grapple ([]) + (X)...........................Superkick Back Grapple ([]).........................Sledgehammer Back Grapple (X)...........................Reverse DDT Back Grapple (O).........................Osaka Stunner Back Grapple (O) + Up/Down.............Uproot Backdrop Back Grapple (O) + Left/Right............German Suplex Back Grapple ([]) + (X)..................Backslide Pin Back Grapple Counter ([])...................Elbow Bunt Back Grapple Counter (X).................Overhead Kick (a.k.a. "PELE") OPPONENT DOWN MOVES ------------------- Opponent Face Up at Head (X)..........Soccer Ball Kick Opponent Face Up at Head (O)...........Stomping (Head) Opponent Face Up at Feet (X).....Back Hook-Leg Pinfall Opponent Face Up at Feet (O).........Torture Half Crab Opponent Face Down at Head (X).................Pinfall Opponent Face Down at Head (O)............Camel Clutch Opponent Face Down at Feet (X).............Sickle Hold Opponent Face Down at Feet (O).........Stomping (Knee) Running at Downed Opponent (O).........Guillotine Drop MMA MOVES --------- Guard Attack ([])........................Knuckle Arrow Guard Attack (X)...........................Boston Crab Guard Attack (O).........................Jackknife Pin Guard Counter.......................Small Package Hold Mount/Facelock Attack ([])..................Body Punch Mount/Facelock Attack (X)...............Front Necklock Mount/Facelock Attack (O)...................Piledriver Mount/Facelock Counter...................Drop Toe Hold Back Mount Attack ([])...................Knuckle Arrow Back Mount Attack (X)............................Elbow Back Mount Attack (O)......................Kido Clutch Back Mount Counter.....................Rolling Pinfall POST AND APRON MOVES -------------------- Post ([])...................................Mad Splash Post (X)................................CANCUN TORNADO [S] Post (O)..................................Missile Kick Post ([]) + (X).....................Diving Body Attack Running Post Dive ([])................Moonsault Attack Running Post Dive (X).............................none Corner Grapple (O) + Up...........Top Rope Huracanrana Corner Grapple (O) + Left/Right............Tornado DDT Corner Grapple (O) + Down..........Corner Low Dropkick Corner (Top Rope) Counter [F]......Top Rope Rollup Pin Corner (Top Rope) Counter [B].....Top Rope Huracanrana Inside Apron Grapple...............Brainbuster to Ring Outside Apron Grapple..............Landing Brainbuster Run to outside...........................TOPE CON JILO [S] Dive out ring..............................La Quebrada Dive in ring.........................Ultra Huracanrana Cage Dive.........................................none DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAM MOVES ---------------------------- Front Double Team......................Double Dropkick Back Double Team..................Bomb Neck Drop Combo Corner Double Team.....................Double Backdrop Front Triple Team...................Triple Hammer Blow Back Triple Team....................Triple Hammer Blow Corner Triple Team.......................Triple Impact PERFORMANCE ----------- Entry Performance.......................Hand Guts Pose Analog Stick Left...................Fist and Arm Raise Analog Stick Right...................Neck Putting Pose Analog Stick Up...........................Panther Pose Analog Stick Down....................Hand Raise Pose 1 ======================= ==SECTION 4: STRATEGY== ======================= GENERAL STRATEGY In terms of sheer diversity, A.J. Styles is one of the more capable wrestlers in FPR, and ranks right up at the very top of the Junior class skill-wise. Thanks to his exciting array of moves, you should have no trouble having a great match with A.J. Unfortunately, some of his more unique moves (Shooting Star Press to the outside, backflip/moonsault off the top turnbuckle into Reverse DDT) aren't in FPR. However, that doesn't mean that you can't have some thrilling matches all the same. Perhaps taking a cue from his classic Iron Man I match with Christopher Daniels, Spike has given A.J. the "Guts" skill. This means he'll be MUCH harder to submit than your average wrestler, which is definitely a good thing, especially when you're playing against another player who isn't aware that he has such a skill! Offensively speaking, Styles is best suited for groundwork in Fire Pro Returns; stretches, submissions and technical moves that take advantage of his stats in those areas. You'll want to avoid a strikefest if you can, as strikes are not his greatest asset. And of course, you're going to want to throw in some high-risk stuff for good measure, but his offense really isn't as mind-blowing here as you might expect. Still, it's never a bad idea to toss a worn opponent outside the ring, then perform an exciting Tope Con Jilo. On the defensive side, A.J. is surprisingly durable, his sole weakness being against lariat-type attacks (and kick and rough to a lesser extent). Therefore, if you're looking to beat A.J., someone such as a Vader or a Stan Hansen would probably be your best bet. (Then again, those guys are a good bet to beat just about anybody!) STRIKES A.J. has mostly kicks in his strike arsenal, but only a 3 offensive kick rating to compliment them. This means you're basically better off closing in for the grapple, although if you can time the Enzuigiri (closest thing in the game to the Pele I other than the back grapple counter) properly, you can make a dent with it. Speaking of the Pele, ever notice how much the CPU likes to pick its opponent up from the mat and initiate a back grapple? Well, A.J. is one of the few wrestlers in the game you'd actually WANT this to happen to, seeing as his famous kick is done as a back grapple counter. If you see the CPU going for this setup, you can smirk to yourself about how the situation is going to play out! GRAPPLES A.J. Styles has an excellent grapple set, which includes the Sheer Drop Brainbuster, the Complete Dust, and that new-era staple of American wrestling, the Superkick. But of course, it's all about working up to his patented finisher, the Styles Clash. On your way there, be sure to lock on some ground submissions while the opponent is down, as this will help to wear them down quickly. Another grapple situation to always keep in mind is from the corner, as A.J. can perform both a Top Rope Huracanrana and a Tornado DDT from a corner grapple. And of course, sticking to the corner means you'll have access to high-flying moves such as the Cancun Tornado when the opponent is lying prone on the mat. So from a strategic point of view, keeping the fight close to the turnbuckles is never a bad thing. ====================== ==SECTION 5: CLOSING== ====================== In closing, I would like to thank Jason Blackhart for statistical information, and Michael "maikeru" Leal and tokerblue for movelist information. I would also like to thank The Senator, motosada and danteblack for their contributions. Fire Pro Wrestling Returns Character Guide: A.J. Styles (c) 2005 Bill Wood (c) 2007 Agetec