wouldn't surprise me if A.J. belongs in the top 20." Ayub Nouinou, a columnist for The Independent, described him as the "crown jewel" of TNA for more than a decade, before "applying his craft" for NJPW and ROH, among others. Nouinou went on to state that Styles had "established himself as one of the best talents on the planet over the last two years (2014 and 2015)" and noted that pertaining to Styles' 2016 WWE signing "the addition of Styles would have to be considered one of the greatest signings since the turn of the millennium". Finally, Nouinou made the prediction that "Styles can be the superstar that spearheads WWE into a new era". Josh Barnett, a columnist for USA Today, stated in March 2017 that Styles "could be considered the MVP of WWE over the last year". Barnett also added that in 2016 Styles had "some of the WWE's best matches, including multiple matches against John Cena and Roman Reigns", while also noting that he "is considered one of the rare performers who can have a great match with anyone". By late 2021, Philip Lindsey of Bleacher Report wrote that Styles was considered "one of the best in-ring competitors in the world. Many top stars have had some of their most memorable matches opposite this high-flying technician." Many of Styles' peers have praised him as being one of the greatest in-ring performers. Kurt Angle named him as the best wrestler that he ever wrestled. Stone Cold Steve Austin dubbed Styles "the best wrestler on two feet", while The Undertaker, whom Styles faced in his retirement match, described him as "probably the best in the business... [the] closest to Shawn Michaels that there is." The comparison to Shawn Michaels was also made by renowned professional wrestling promoter and manager Paul Heyman, who stated that: "He's everything that Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart, and Ric Flair were to their generation and he's updated it. He's evolved their styles to truly be the single most phenomenal in-ring performer I have ever had the honour and the pleasure of watching up close". Other media In 2003, ROH released Evolution of a Phenom: The Best of AJ Styles, a DVD which covers Styles from his debut to mid-2003. In 2004, ROH released The Phenomenon Continues: The Best of AJ Styles Vol. 2, a follow-up DVD to the original released in 2003. Also in 2004,