There are the best of storylines, there are the worst of storylines, and there’s TNA’s Claire Lynch storyline. The saga is an infamous part of AJ Styles’ wrestling career in TNA, which every fan would like to forget because of the allegations he was thrown at by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian.
The plot began with the Phenomenal One being accused of having an affair with the then-TNA President, Dixie Carter. Later, Claire Lynch was introduced, who also claimed that she was pregnant with Styles’ unborn child and had ample proof.
However, the saga quickly thinned out because of a convoluted story, lack of believability, and poor acting. The fans had forgotten about the storyline but had a quick flashback when they learned the actress who played Lynch’s role had passed away.
AJ Styles’ on-screen lover in TNA dies in a shocking manner
Over the years, TNA has come up with some amazing storylines that fans had a great time witnessing and even being a part of. The backstage talent has brainstormed and come up with a layered storyline that has surely gone down as sagas that represent what Total Nonstop Action is all about. However, they could not stay consistent with it because they dropped the ball when it mattered the most.
The very same brand that brewed amazing storylines messed up, creating an arc that ruined the wrestling promotion brand. One such story involved AJ Styles and Claire Lynch, where the latter became part of the saga. The arc began with The Bad Influence accusing the former of having an affair with Dixie Carter.
Later, they claimed that he was the father of a baby who was being carried by a drug-addicted woman, Claire Lynch. The saga climaxed when Lynch was not pregnant at all. Fast forward to 2025: Julia Reilly, the actress portraying the role of Lynch, was found dead.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter via WrestleZone, Dave Meltzer claimed that Reilly’s corpse was found in her home in Orlando two months ago after she failed to attend a scheduled event. The report mentioned that the actress had passed away from natural causes.
As disturbing as the news sounds, the storyline was on a whole other level of messed up. It was heavily hated by the fans and critics alike; the saga was against everything that the 3-time WWE US Champion believed in, and he had to wrestle for the final paternity test to be taken. To make everything even worse, fans found out the real identity of Lynch; they harassed and bullied her online until she parted ways with the role.
Noticing the negative reception and getting bombed on social media, the story was dropped shortly after her departure, making it one of the most hated works of fiction in entertainment wrestling.
Wrestling fans mourn the sudden passing of Julia Reilly
A saddening loss in the wrestling community, where the actress tried to do her best to make the fictional tale as real as possible, but poor writing decisions and over-the-top stakes resulted in the thinning out of the plot, and maybe even caused the 2-time TNA World Champion to exit the company.
With the loss of the personality made public on X, the fans are heartbroken and are mourning her loss, while some remember her in their prayers. The users tweeted,
RIP Julia. Sorry to hear this sad news.
— Carlos Silva (@carlossilva) June 6, 2025
Omg wow I remember her. That sucks. RIP to her.
— Antoine Parrish (@themoe85) June 7, 2025
Awwww man rip honey god bless you
— Timothy Simmons (@Timothy35530509) June 6, 2025
Wow 😢 Rest in Peace, my condolences to her family and friends
— 🤘🏽 It’s All for WHO? 🤘🏽 (@2L2Q_JGMan) June 6, 2025
While her contributions weren’t the best….they were memorable RIP
— Rudy (@DaRude1518) June 7, 2025
A career that ended forever associated with controversy, the role was never mentioned on her professional resume, nor did she acknowledge it in public via WrestlingNews.co. The wrestling world mourns the loss of Julia Reilly, and they offer their condolences to her family, friends, and loved ones.
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