Tag: AJ Styles

AJ Styles gave former WWE tag team partner blessing to use Styles Clash

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Dragon Lee received AJ Styles’ blessing to use the Styles Clash in the WWE ring. 

Speaking with Joey Karni, Lee expressed gratitude on the opportunity to work with legends like AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio. He added that Styles allowed him to use his signature move as a sign of respect, something Lee described as an honor. 

“Just imagine how is my life, man. Being with the greatest of all time here and now, being with the greatest of all time,  AJ Styles. It’s something like nobody give it to me. I earned every single opportunity because I’ve been doing my 100% what I’m telling you every single time when I step in the ring. And they knew it. Now I took the Styles Clash as honor from AJ but not because I choose it. I asked and he told me, ‘You’re my brother, do it’ because you know I earn the respect from the locker room but earn the respect from legend like Rey (Mysterio), like AJ that’s unbelievable for me.”

In August last year, Styles and Lee worked together to contend for the World Tag Team Titles which they eventually won in October. They held gold for nearly 70 days before dropping it to The Usos in December 2025. 

Styles officially retired from wrestling after his Royal Rumble match against Gunther. He will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend. 

Gunther: Retiring AJ Styles ‘felt almost more important’ than John Cena

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Gunther put an end to three wrestling veterans’ careers within the past year. From Goldberg in July to John Cena in December and AJ Styles in January. 

Gunther revealed on WWE Retrospective that retiring Styles was a priority over Cena because he idolized his run before joining the company. He cited comparisons with Styles and himself in his early career and respected him.

“Everybody kind of knew backstage, it was an open secret that AJ was going to hang up his boots at some point, that’s what I wanted to do next.”

“AJ’s kind of different where it’s like; you have the WCW legend Goldberg, then you have the guy that stands for WWE, then you have AJ who’s somewhat more similar to me because he had a great run here but a lot of the stuff the people love him for happened before WWE.”

“He’s one of those guys that, the generation of wrestling I came up with, we looked up to guys like AJ Styles. I remember that when he was in New Japan and we always watched his big matches there, they were fantastic. There was the time where I was really grinding and developing, there was stuff I would watch.” 

“I always had so much respect for AJ’s work. It almost kind of felt like, from the wrestler purist heart, that felt almost more important for me than the Cena match. But on screen being able to rub it in and try and ruin that last run he has was so much fun.”

He also added Goldberg and Cena’s retirement timeline was made public leaving an uncertainty around Styles’ match. The anticipation was heightened for the match given the stipulation that Styles’ loss would be the end of his WWE career.

“That’s the beauty of it because with Goldberg and Cena everyone knew it was their last match, and I think with AJ people weren’t too sure it was going to be his last match. A good chunk of them expected AJ to win and carry on with his career, but he went out on his own terms, that’s something a lot of wrestlers can’t manage, it’s always best to go at a point where people are still going to miss you, not at a point where people are like ‘ah it was time’.'”

“So hat off to AJ, great career, fantastic wrestler, but I took it away, what can I do.”

After December, Gunther bragged about making Cena tap out especially with his motto to ‘never give up’. An infuriated Styles confronted him leading to their match at Royal Rumble.

Styles will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend, and Cena will host WrestleMania 42. 

Gunther was scarcely seen on WWE TV in the aftermath of his attack on Dragon Lee in February. Last month he ambushed Seth Rollins during his confrontation with Paul Heyman. Ultimately, a match between the two was set for WrestleMania. 

This week on Raw, Gunther revealed that his rivalry with Rollins was personal because he was determined to prove he was the better of the two. 

Triple H details conversations with AJ Styles after WWE retirement

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Styles knew he still wanted to contribute to WWE after retirement — he just had to find the behind-the-scenes role that was right for him.

This January, Styles retired from the ring with a loss to Gunther at Royal Rumble 2026. Styles has since reached a new contract with WWE for his post-wrestling career, where he helps talent behind the scenes along with scouting wrestlers for the company.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque appeared on a new episode of Cody Rhodes’ “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” podcast and detailed some of the discussions he had with Styles about retirement. At the end of his run, Styles was done in the ring and wanted to get that part of his career over with. Styles sat in on creative and production meetings to try those roles out, but they weren’t the ideal fit.

“At the end, AJ was like, ‘I don’t want to be done with the business. I want to be done wrestling.’ And I don’t think I’m betraying a confidence here,” Levesque said. “But even in his last match, he was telling me like, ‘I so know I’m done because I was out there in that last match thinking like, let’s just get [it] over with, I just want to get to the end.’

“He wants to participate in the business, right? But being an agent or a producer, it’s a different world. Being in what we do, there’s different fits for different people. AJ came in, he sat in on some creative meetings, he sat in on some production meetings. And I think he realized like, the writing thing’s not for me, the producer thing, I don’t think is for me. What I really like is getting to these young kids and spotting talent and then trying to help fan the flames of the little spark that’s there and try to make them into something more, the developmental side of it. So, great, let’s utilize him in that and grab those talents there.”

Levesque noted that he thinks Rhodes is another person who will still be able to make a big impact in WWE whenever he decides to step away from the ring.

“It’s your show and I’m not trying to blow smoke up your ass,” Levesque said. “You’re one of those guys that I believe as you come to the end of your career, it behooves you to start to pay attention to the other things.”

Finn Balor was ‘blown away’ by AJ Styles’ retirement decision

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Former Universal Champion Finn Balor has revealed his “blown away” reaction to AJ Styles’ retirement news from last year.

Earlier this year at Royal Rumble 2026, Styles retired from pro-wrestling after losing to Gunther. Speaking on Talk’n Shop Live, Balor opened up and revealed his initial reaction to Styles’ retirement decision.

“AJ [Styles] had told me he was thinking about retiring in 2026. And in my brain, that was like, ‘Oh, okay. That’s Survivor Series.’ And then I think we’re walking out of a RAW taping in Germany two weeks before his actual retirement, and we’re walking out onto the bus,” Balor shared. “I said, ‘You’re working Gunther soon?’ He goes, ‘Yes. Think it might be the last one.’ I was like, ‘For real?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’ Whoa. Holy cow. I was blown away.

“I must say I’m super happy for him to be able to step away with his general health. No major injuries so to speak. I know he’s a little banged up, like we all are, but to step away on his terms and be with his family, that’s such a beautiful thing. I wish him the best, and I’m sure I’ll be seeing him pretty soon.”

Styles, now retired from in-ring action, currently works as a talent scout for WWE, while Balor is scheduled to face Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

AJ Styles shares further details on new WWE role following retirement

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AJ Styles is sharing new details about his role in WWE post-retirement.

On his Phenomenally Retro podcast, Styles shared further information on what his role is, helping discover new talent as a talent scout. Styles revealed he’s been going to independent shows and reaching out to talent.

“I’ve been going to indie shows and checking those out, just seeing what everyone has to offer and stuff like that,” he said. “I’m scouring the internet for something that sticks out…if you want to send me that stuff, fine, go ahead, I’d love to see it. So yeah, I’m trying to check out talent and see how much talent is out there.”

“I know what it’s like to be on the indies and having a job,” he recounted. “Traveling on the indies, sometimes it’s hard to get things that you need. And so, if they are as desperate as I was to make it in the wrestling business, then I’d love to see them before anybody else snags them up. That’s the way it is. And hopefully, I’m able to see talent before it’s developed.”

Styles had his retirement ceremony recently in Atlanta, Georgia. It was there that he was surprised by the Undertaker with the announcement that he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year in Las Vegas.

AJ Styles plans on keeping his Hall of Fame speech ‘short and sweet’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Wrestling legend AJ Styles has opened up and revealed a surprising detail about his upcoming Hall of Fame induction speech.

After Gunther defeated Styles at the Royal Rumble and retired him, he was soon announced as a part of the 2026 class of the Hall of Fame.

One of the most celebrated wrestlers of all-time, Styles recently opened up on The Phenomenally Retro Podcast, where he revealed his plans on keeping his Hall of Fame speech ‘short and sweet’. Styles made it clear that he does not want to give people the opportunity to complain.

“I’m gonna try not to piss everybody off who has come there to see all the other inductions… there’s some guys that we’ve watched in the past, and you’re going, ‘Holy cow.’ Everybody’s thinking the same thing, like, ‘Alright man, that was good, that was great.’ So I’m gonna try to make sure that I stay within the guidelines of that and not make people hate AJ Styles based on his Hall of Fame induction speech,” Styles said.

“So short and sweet, I think, is the best way to do it. I don’t know exactly how it’s gonna be or what I’m gonna say, but I know I’ve got a lot of people that I need to thank. I’m gonna try to do that and tell the fans how much I appreciate them for getting me this far because, listen, I look at me in the mirror and I know I never should have made it. So the fact that I did, that’s a testament to the kind of fans that are out there.”

Styles is currently working as a scout for WWE, keeping an eye on budding and emerging talents who could be a part of the promotion. According to Fightful Select, Styles was recently at a Georgia indie show (ROAR) advising talent.

John Cena reflects on AJ Styles match at WWE Crown Jewel

Posted on by Ian Carey

John Cena says he doesn’t typically watch his matches back, but made an exception for his bout with AJ Styles at WWE Crown Jewel last year.

Cena’s fifth final match took place at the October 11, 2025 event in Perth, Australia, where he defeated Styles in a bout that ran just under 30 minutes and included multiple tributes to past opponents of both wrestlers.

Cena discussed the match during a Q&A appearance at MegaCon Orlando 2026 this weekend.

Cena said:

“The atmosphere in Perth was like something I’d never seen. I’d never seen that many t-shirts. I know for a fact we didn’t give them away, but it’s like we gave them away. I wore yellow that night and the whole crowd was yellow. I’m used to it being 50/50, or sometimes people wear an older shirt. So the atmosphere really swept everybody up, and because the audience was smart enough to understand what we were doing as well. You can do all this cool stuff that you think is cool, but if you guys don’t get it, I’m kind of being selfish.”

Cena also revealed that Styles had told him in advance that he was planning to retire in January.

“AJ had shared with me that he was going to retire in January. I really think the world of him and wanted to do something special and make it special. And then you had an audience that kind of understood that.”

“I don’t watch a lot of matches back because I like to live the moment. I don’t like to get into my head about what I could have done different. I can’t. It’s done. That’s one that I have watched back, and man, the audience was calling spots for us. It was great. It was just a moment where everyone in the arena was in on it.”

Clips of Cena’s full Q&A appearance at MegaCon Orlando 2026 are available below. The video is queued to his comments about wrestling Styles at WWE Crown Jewel 2025.

Kevin Owens to appear at WWE World

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Though he’s sidelined due to injury, Kevin Owens will be in town for WWE WrestleMania 42 weekend.

It was announced today that Owens will make a public WWE appearance next month at WWE World. He’ll be doing a meet and greet at the fan event, which takes place annually and helps set the tone for WrestleMania.

Owens, his friend/rival Sami Zayn, and the recently retired AJ Styles have all been added to the convention. It’s being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 16-20.

Owens’ last WWE match was at Elimination Chamber 2025. His rivalry with Randy Orton was building toward WrestleMania 41, but Owens had to be pulled from the show due to needing neck surgery. 

Along with this appearance, Owens has been confirmed as a coach for the new season of WWE LFG (Legends and Future Greats) that premieres on A&E on April 26. Reports suggest that Owens is not expected to make an in-ring return anytime soon, though WWE is hopeful that it will happen before the end of the year. Owens did share a brief clip of himself at the Performance Center doing some cardio work back in November 2025.

Styles, who retired at the Royal Rumble, is slated for a Hall of Fame induction during Mania weekend after a nearly three-decade long career. He recently revealed his new backstage role in WWE where he’ll be mentoring and assisting talent.

AJ Styles wishes Abyss got to compete in WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

AJ Styles wishes a fellow TNA legend got the chance to compete for WWE at least one time.

While speaking on the Phenomenally Retro Podcast, the now-retired Styles reflected on one of his favorite TNA matches against Abyss. Styles reflected on their Lockdown 2005 bout and labeled Abyss one of the top five giants he’s worked with across his extensive career.

“So this was the first time every match [on the PPV] was in a cage and we were the main event,” Styles said. “They go, ‘Well, what the heck are we going to do?’ Every match was in a cage. So we started our first, I believe it was the first 10 minutes of our match. The match hadn’t even started yet. It was on the outside. We’re going, fighting all around, and then once we get in the ring, ding ding ding, the match starts. We did another 10 to 15 minutes. But it was one of my favorite matches because — I mean tacks, I got busted open, chains, top of the cage, like outside of the cage, like it was, I don’t know who thought of all this stuff.

“I would love to tell you it was me, but I’m pretty sure it was both of us that came up with this. But I really think that was a brilliant match based on what we had to work with. But it’s like you said, he was probably one of the better big men, definitely that I’ve ever wrestled. He is right up there in my top five of ‘big man’ that could do it all and was willing to do it and could go and had great moves and a different character. Like, he was so good, man.”

Styles further praised Abyss’ character and revealed that there were backstage talks in WWE about having him compete in a Royal Rumble match at one point. However, that never ended up coming to fruition.

“There was a moment in time where we thought we were going to have him in the Royal Rumble. It didn’t go through and I hate that for him,” Styles said. “It would have been just like a stamp on Abyss. The character finally made it to the WWE. I would’ve loved that, but I guess somebody didn’t agree.”

Abyss (Chris Park) never got to make his WWE in-ring debut, but he’s now been working behind the scenes for the company as a producer since 2019. Last month, he made an on-screen appearance during a tribute WWE held for Styles following his retirement.

The 48-year-old Styles wrestled his final match this January and is set to be honored with a WWE Hall of Fame induction next month during WrestleMania weekend.

AJ Styles helping to train AEW wrestler

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

After AJ Styles retired, he revealed that he would be working to develop talent under NXT and WWE ID contracts. Turns out he’s open to helping those under AEW contract too.

Anthony Ogogo, an Olympic boxing medalist who signed with AEW in 2019, shared a photo of himself and Styles on social media and talked about the experience the two had training together.

“Last night’s training session with AJ Styles,” Ogogo wrotes. “Unreal. As a kid I had one dream… to compete at the Olympic Games. I chased it, lived it, and came home with a medal. Childhood dream: check. What I never imagined was getting to live a second dream. Becoming a professional wrestler and learning from the very people I grew up watching.”

“Every week I train with legends like Billy Gunn, and nights like this getting extra reps and knowledge from someone like AJ Styles are special. Grateful for the journey. Still learning. Still sharpening the tools. Still chasing greatness. Dreams evolve…but the work never stops,” he continued.

Ogogo won a bronze medal in boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Most of his matches in recent years have come from the Georgia independent scene. His only AEW-affiliated match since 2024 was a trios match in ROH last November, teaming with Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor in a win over Alex Reynolds & Evil Uno & John Silver.

He also appeared on Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport show in London, defeating former K1 champion Brett Semtex. 

AJ Styles reveals new WWE role following retirement

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AJ Styles has revealed what he’s doing for WWE now.

The future WWE Hall of Famer explained his new duties on the premiere episode of his podcast Phenomenally Retro. Although the podcast’s focus is on Styles’ love of video games, he did touch on what his new role in WWE is following his retirement at the Royal Rumble, and it involves helping talent.

“I’m on the internet and I’m checking out talent because it’s kind of going to be part of my job with WWE now. I’m looking for talent and I’m looking to see what I can do, if I can do anything for them, if they can get better, you know, little things like that,” he explained. “Because if there is a possibility of them maybe getting a WWE ID [contract]  or something like that, then hopefully I can facilitate and get that to happen.”

Beyond scouting talent, Styles’ role will also involve talking to NXT and main roster talent, just to see how they’re doing morale wise.

“So as of right now it’s a little slow, but there are phone calls that are going to have to be made to make sure my job is done and it’s not just with indie talent. It’ll be NXT talent and it may mean main roster talent as well. I’m gonna go to Seattle for the next Monday Night Raw, talk with talent. Who knows, sometimes you need to talk to somebody to see how they’re feeling and maybe they want to go down to the PC and they wanna work on some stuff. The morale, if I can help make sure it’s still there in a good way, I want to be that guy,” he continued.

In the weeks following his retirement, speculation mounted regarding Styles’ future. But it was recently reported that Styles had signed a new contract with WWE where he would continue with the company in a backstage role.

Jeff Jarrett: AJ Styles is ‘the face of modern wrestling’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Jeff Jarrett believes AJ Styles is hugely responsible for shaping the in-ring style that exists today.

While speaking with Undisputed, Jarrett expressed how happy he is for Styles following his retirement from the ring. The two worked together closely in TNA Wrestling with Styles becoming the biggest star that TNA ever produced.

“I could not be happier for the guy,” Jarrett said. “Getting to work with him was super special. It always takes me back to the creation of the X Division. At the beginning, there were so many questions and doubts about the X Division. I was adamant that it wasn’t about weight limits; it was about no limits.”

That X-Division style has taken over much of the wrestling industry, and Jarrett believes that Styles deserves a lion’s share of the credit.

“Look at today’s style of wrestling–the 2026 modern style–that’s the X Division from ’03, ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07,” Jarrett said. “You think of [Samoa] Joe, [Christopher] Daniels, Sonjay [Dutt], and so many others. And AJ is the face of that. That’s why AJ is the face of modern wrestling. I’m super grateful to have worked with him in the ring and behind the scenes with him. I feel very blessed to be a part of AJ Styles’ career.”

Styles had his final match at Royal Rumble 2026 and will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 42 weekend. With his in-ring career over, Styles has agreed to a new contract to remain with WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity.

Jarrett, a member of the TNA and WWE Hall of Fames, is now with AEW. He’s set to be featured in the new documentary “The Jeff Jarrett Story: Heart of a Promoter” that premieres on YouTube and CW Nashville tonight.




Good Brothers say Styles will return ‘one way or another’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

In his 20-plus years in pro wrestling, nobody teamed with AJ Styles more often than the Good Brothers of Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Nobody knows Styles better than them—and they don’t think his retirement will last. 

The two were asked about Styles’ retirement in an appearance on Busted Open Radio. “I think he can sit it out for a couple of years,” Anderson said. “I think he’s able to fix the itch by helping people. He loves teaching. He loves helping the next generation. He loves helping younger wrestlers. He knows people look up to him. He knows how good he is. He knows how good that people think he is. I really believe that will satisfy the itch…until he can’t satisfy the itch anymore with it.”

“Maybe he just needs a couple of years away,” Anderson continued. “Maybe he just needs a year and a half away. I do think it’s going to be at least a year. I do think it’s going to be at least a year and a half, even. But the itch is always going to come back. He’s too competitive, man. And he’s just too good still. And I know that at some point, I believe he’s going to have to get back in there.”

Gallows agreed. “AJ beat the house, but I would bet this beautiful house that I’m sitting in right now that he will be back,” he said. “And I just see him coming back to the ring one way or another. There’s too much left in the tank. And the itch is real.”

That’s not what Gallows said, however, on the night of Styles’ retirement ceremony on Monday Night Raw in Atlanta. “He actually really is finished, and there’s not another story,” Gallows said in WWE footage captured that night. “There’s not a jump. There’s finality. But I just saw him for the first time, I’ve been here a few hours and he’s been busy, and I just saw him and I could see how happy he was.”

AJ Styles: I retired so ‘I don’t embarrass myself’

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

One reason AJ Styles has hung up his gloves: He wanted to go out while he could still deliver in the ring. 

On WWE’s Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant, Styles was asked why this was the right time to retire. “I mean, now is the right time to retire so I don’t make a fool out of myself, so I don’t embarrass myself,” he said. “I’m on the verge of doing just that. Now’s the time. It’s not easy, mind you, but it’s the time.”

Styles was also asked about retiring in another promotion, and he reminded everyone that he almost never ended up in WWE in the first place. “Here’s the crazy thing: Had TNA offered me the deal that I had, I would have stayed there,” he said. “So there was that. I was proud of the fact that I helped make a company. I wanted to be there. But, as things would have it, here I am in WWE and I’m grateful for it.”

Styles was part of the first match in TNA history, teaming with Jerry Lynn and Low-Ki in a losing effort against the Flying Elvises of Jimmy Yang & Jorge Estrada & Sonny Siaki. His last match in the promotion was a loss to Magnus (now known as Nick Aldis on WWE SmackDown) in a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match in December of 2013. He has famously said that the contract he was offered at the time would have come with an enormous pay cut. 

AJ Styles says he’s ‘grateful’ for WWE Hall of Fame induction

Posted on by Vincent Verhei

At the end of his retirement ceremony on Monday Night Raw, the WWE surprised AJ Styles by having the Undertaker break the news that he would be going into their Hall of Fame this year. Now we’re getting to see how Styles reacted backstage.

The WWE posted a video of backstage footage from the evening on their YouTube page. The video showed Styles gathering with his family just a few minutes after Raw went off the air. 

“I guess we’re going to WrestleMania, at least to the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I’m very excited. I don’t know, I really can’t think of the words to express how I feel. ‘Gratitude’s’ a big one. ‘Thankful.’ ‘Blessed.’”

Styles added that getting the news in his hometown, surrounded by his loved ones, made it even more special. “I’m glad they were here to see it too,” he said, referring to his wife and children. “What a place, being told you’re going into the Hall of Fame in the city that you live in. It was going to be a great night, and you got married. It’s awesome.” 

Cagematch lists Styles with 14 matches in the city of Atlanta. The first was a win over Rick Micheals in a dark match at a WWF Jakked taping in July of 2001. The last was a no contest against LA Knight on WWE SmackDown in January of 2024.