AJ Styles says he’d originally planned to retire after WWE WrestleMania 41.
On Friday, WWE posted a vlog featuring Styles backstage at last month’s Royal Rumble, which was potentially his final match, as well as footage from shows leading up to the event.
Styles revealed that his original plan was to retire at WrestleMania 41, but he had just returned from an injury at the time and didn’t feel right retiring after only a short return.
“Everybody wants to retire at the WrestleMania, right? The biggest show of the year that we do and I was gonna do exactly that.”
Styles suffered a Lisfranc injury in October 2024 that kept him out of action until February 2025.
“It just didn’t feel right to come back for two months just to retire. It didn’t seem right and I thought what better way to be able to leave on the pay-per-view where you debuted?”
Styles also spent some time in the video talking about his relationship with CM Punk, who was his opponent on the go-home edition of WWE Raw before the Rumble.
“We are living proof that live and learn, forget, forgive, move on. Life’s too short to be angry with each other over stupid things.”
“Me and Punk don’t think on a lot of the same things, but that doesn’t separate us from being friends and being appreciative of each other.”
There will be a celebration of AJ Styles’ career on Monday’s edition of WWE Raw, which will take place in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to a report from PWInsider, Styles was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday. No further updates were provided, and it is not clear what Styles was doing at the building.
There will be a celebration for Styles on Monday’s episode of Raw. The show will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, near Styles’ hometown of Gainesville. Our own Bryan Alvarez reports that talent from SmackDown is being flown in for the show as well.
Styles’ career seemingly came to an end at the Royal Rumble last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after he was defeated by Gunther in a match that carried the stipulation that he would retire if he lost. He later said on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast that he could potentially wrestle at least one more time if a scenario popped up, such as wanting to work with one of his children.
An update is available regarding the celebration planned for AJ Styles on Raw this week.
Bryan Alvarez wrote to his subscribers on X that it won’t just be wrestlers from the Raw roster who are flown in to the show.
Alvarez wrote:
“Smackdown talent being flown to RAW this week for the AJ celebration.”
The celebration for Styles is set for a little over three weeks after his loss to Gunther at the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will take place at The Allstate Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, near Styles’ hometown of Gainesville. Also announced for RAW are two Elimination Chamber qualifying matches as well as the return of Brock Lesnar.
The full lineup for the show is below.
WWE Raw lineup for February 23, 2026:
A tribute to AJ Styles
Brock Lesnar appears
Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Raquel Rodriguez vs. IYO SKY vs. Kairi Sane
Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Bronson Reed vs. Jey Uso vs. Original El Grande Americano
The company announced on Monday that next week’s show in Atlanta will serve as a tribute to AJ Styles. The former WWE Champion lost a match to Gunther at the Royal Rumble where the stipulation was if he lost, he would have to retire.
Despite losing the retirement stipulation, AJ Styles’ future remains uncertain. Following the Royal Rumble, reports came out saying that Styles and WWE had been in talks for a new contract, but decided to go with the Styles vs. Gunther match at the Royal Rumble when the deal wasn’t locked in. In an interview with Stephanie McMahon, Styles was open to the idea of wrestling again, noting that he could team with one of his children down the line.
Two Elimination Chamber qualifying matches are also set for next week. Raquel Rodriguez will square off against IYO SKY and Kairi Sane. Meanwhile, Bronson Reed will do battle with Jey Uso and Original El Grande Americano.
Brock Lesnar has also been announced for next week’s show, his first appearance since being eliminated at the Royal Rumble.
WWE Raw (February 23)
A tribute to AJ Styles
Brock Lesnar appears
Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Raquel Rodriguez vs. IYO SKY vs. Kairi Sane
Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Bronson Reed vs. Jey Uso vs. Original El Grande Americano
WWE posted a video on Wednesday featuring several members of its roster reflecting on what AJ Styles’ career has meant to them.
Styles’ in-ring career seemingly came to an end at the Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when he lost to Gunther in a match with the stipulation that a loss would force him to retire. However, in an interview with Stephanie McMahon that was filmed the following week, Styles wouldn’t rule out a potential return someday.
Finn Balor, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and more had the following to say in the video:
Balor said:
“I just wanna say congratulations on such an incredible career. And from a personal standpoint, I wanna say thank you because you’ve always been such a constant source of inspiration for me, and I know we’ve had very similar career paths, but I hope you know that I’ve always, always looked up to you. For me, you are the benchmark for what it is to be a professional both inside and outside of the ring. I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to share the last 10 years with you here in this company.”
Orton said:
“I think that anyone in the back would agree that he’s one of the best wrestlers, pure wrestlers, entertainers, sports entertainers, whatever you wanna call it, of this generation. You couldn’t say enough about how great he is in the ring. But when it comes to outside of the ring, what I really respect about him is the kind of husband and the kind of father he is, the kind of locker room leader he is. He definitely leads by example. He’s a straight-edge, clean living, just amazing man in general, and it was a privilege to work alongside AJ, and I hope that we keep in touch.”
Reigns said:
“Hell of a worker, a hell of a teammate, just an old-ass video-game brother. But that reflects, I think, who he is as a person, the discipline that he has, being involved in professional wrestling, being on the road but continuing to stay true to being a family man, being a father. Just happy that I was able to make some art with him when our time came a few years ago. It would’ve been cool to be able to run it back and do it again, explore like new chapters of what we could do together, because there’s just a, pun intended, a phenomenal chemistry there.”
The Miz said:
“AJ not only exceeded all expectations, but I think even maybe he might even tell you he exceeded his expectations because he did everything there is to do, and not just WWE, but in pro wrestling in general. And I am thankful to have AJ as a WWE superstar, as a friend, and as a person I can look to for guidance anytime I need any type of advice on certain things. He’s just that kind of guy.”
Zayn said to Styles:
“As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a good friend. I’m trying not to get too bummed out here, but I’m really gonna miss you, man, and thank you for everything. Thank you for everything, not just for me, but for what you’ve done for the business, and we just had a lot of great memories together.”
Nakamura said:
“AJ is special to a lot of people, but for me, it’s more than that. One of my best friends, sometime I feel like he’s my brother. I miss him already.”
Xavier Woods, Petey Williams, Abyss (Chris Park), and more also offered their thoughts on Styles in the video, which is available in full below.
Some new information has emerged regarding AJ Styles’ retirement and his WWE contract status.
On January 31, Styles closed out his in-ring career with a loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble. It was known that Styles would be retiring at some point in 2026, but fans were surprised by his final match happening so soon into the year. PWInsider reports that Styles and WWE had been in talks for a new contract, but — with the Royal Rumble approaching and a new deal not locked in — the decision was made to go with the Styles vs. Gunther match.
The report notes that it was Styles’ idea to end his career at the Royal Rumble because it’s the same PLE where he made his WWE debut in 2016.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque has expressed hope that Styles will continue with WWE in a behind-the-scenes role. PWInsider notes that Styles and WWE are still discussing his future with the company, but there’s no word that a new contract has been signed. While Styles would be free to explore outside options if he becomes a free agent, PWInsider writes that they haven’t heard any rumblings about him wanting to get back into the ring in the near future.
Styles is not completely ruling out the idea of returning to the ring down the road. While appearing on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast after the Rumble, he said he could potentially wrestle at least one more time if a scenario pops up like getting to work with one of his children.
“Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I know there’s — I think everybody’s allowed at least once coming out of retirement,” Styles said. “I’m not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon. I mean, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once. You never know. There’ll be a time when the gloves never go back on and it may be now, but we’ll see.”
WWE has ranked AJ Styles’ top 25 moments in the company.
On Sunday, WWE’s YouTube channel released a video counting down what it considers Styles’ top 25 moments during his time in WWE. The full list, along with the video, is available below.
AJ Styles’ top 25 moments according to WWE’s YouTube channel:
Winning his first WWE Championship at Backlash 2016
Defeating John Cena at SummerSlam
His debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble
Winning the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal on SmackDown
Giving Dean Ambrose a 450 splash through a table at TLC 2016
Defeating John Cena at Money in the Bank
Giving Roman Reigns a Phenomenal Forearm to the outside and through a table at WWE Payback
Defeating Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33
Winning the Six Pack Challenge at WWE Fastlane
Defeating Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing match at Money in the Bank
His entrance for the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36
Defeating Kevin Owens for the United States Championship at a Madison Square Garden house show
The ring introduction for his match against John Cena at Crown Jewel 2025
Defeating Chris Jericho in his first WWE singles match
Not leaving his gloves in the ring at WWE Royal Rumble 2026
Giving The Singh Brothers (Bollywood Boyz) a double Styles Clash on the November 28, 2017 episode of SmackDown
Defeating Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34
His promo challenging The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 36
Defeating Daniel Bryan for the Intercontinental Championship on the June 12, 2020 episode of SmackDown
Winning the Raw Tag Team Championships with Omos at WrestleMania 37
Making Gunther tap out on the January 12, 2026 episode of Raw, even if the ref didn’t see it
Winning a number one contender battle royal on SmackDown in 2017
Defeating Finn Balor and JD McDonagh with Dragon Lee to win the World Tag Team Championships
Defeating Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match at the 2018 Royal Rumble
Throwing Shane McMahon through a car window during a 2017 backstage segment
Jeff Jarrett does not believe AJ Styles’ in-ring career is over.
After Styles lost to Gunther with his career on the line at Royal Rumble last weekend, many fans have questioned whether he really is done as a wrestler. Jarrett addressed the topic on his My World podcast and said he’s confident that Styles will wrestle again.
“We have not seen the last of AJ Styles in the ring. Look, it may be a year, it may be two years, I don’t know,” Jarrett said.
He later added:
“I think AJ’s stock, if he’s on the ticker, over the last week or two has risen. Would you buy AJ stock right now?” Jarrett asked Thompson.
Thompson answered, “If we were giving stock recommendations, I would give it a buy, that’s for sure.”
Scott D’Amore, who previously worked with both Styles and Jarrett in TNA, also commented on Styles’ possible retirement during the latest edition of The D’Amore Drop on Yahoo Sports. D’Amore said that if Styles’ career really is over, it’s a strange way for it to end.
“As it stands, I can’t believe AJ Styles’ career ends like this. It is perplexing,” D’Amore wrote.
Jarrett and co-host Conrad Thompson also discussed Styles’ match with Gunther, with Jarrett comparing it to other recent “retirement” matches.
Jarrett added:
“Out of Goldberg, Cena, and AJ, out of those three, I thought Gunther built more equity in the Gunther character by beating AJ than the others by far. That was well done. But no, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of it. The taking off the gloves and all that stuff, it’s curious.”
The My World YouTube channel posted a clip of Jarrett discussing Styles vs. Gunther on Sunday, which is available below.
Finn Balor sent an emotional message to AJ Styles during Styles’ recent appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast.
Styles was a guest on What’s Your Story earlier this week following his loss to Gunther at the WWE Royal Rumble in a match where his career was on the line. During the interview, several of Styles’ former rivals, opponents, and colleagues shared messages about his career.
Balor said to Styles on the show:
“I feel so happy for him that he’s able to retire with his health. AJ, I just want to say congratulations on such an incredible career. From a personal standpoint, I want to say thank you because you’ve always been such a constant source of inspiration for me. I know we’ve had very similar career paths, but I hope you know that I’ve always, always looked up to you.“
“For me, you are the benchmark for what it is to be a professional both inside and outside of the ring. I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to share the last 10 years with you here in this company. I know we kind of dodged each other a lot on the indies. You were in TNA, I was in Japan. When you came to Japan, I went to NXT, so we missed each other for a long time. But I feel like getting to know you over the last 10 years, both on a personal level and in the ring, and just witnessing how great and phenomenal you really are, I want to say thank you for being AJ Styles.”
Balor left New Japan Pro Wrestling in May 2014 to sign with WWE and be assigned to NXT. The following month, Styles defeated Kazuchika Okada to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship as leader of Bullet Club. The two later wrestled five singles matches against one another on WWE programming, with Styles winning their head-to-head series 3–2.
Dave Meltzer and I are back with the Friday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about the big news from today’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Following his recent retirement, AJ Styles was showered with tributes, including one from his iconic TNA rivals, Christopher Daniels.
On January 31st, 2026, Gunther defeated and retired Styles from in-ring competition. Shortly after, Daniels penned an emotional note on social media, sharing his heartfelt thoughts for Styles.
“I’ve been quiet following [AJ Styles] last match because I don’t think I can condense 25 years of emotions & experiences into 1 or 2 tweets. Nothing I type can fully express my love, respect, and appreciation for him. Regardless of what happens, AJ was and is always elite!”
Daniels and Styles have been involved in a total of 180 matches (as per Cagematch), including both singles and multi-man matches. Apart from their bouts against each other, Styles and Daniels have also teamed up numerous times.
The duo faced each other for the first time in 2001, where Styles emerged victorious. Their latest bout dates back to 2015 at EPW Total Honor, where Styles again won.
I’ve been quiet following @AJStylesOrg last match because I don’t think I can condense 25 years of emotions & experiences into 1 or 2 tweets. Nothing I type can fully express my love, respect, and appreciation for him. Regardless of what happens, AJ was and is always elite! ❤️
The phenomenal times are just beginning for AJ Styles following his apparent in-ring retirement.
Just days after his WWE career was ended by Gunther at the Royal Rumble, Styles appeared on a new edition of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast. The episode included McMahon reading a letter from Styles’ wife Wendy Jones congratulating her husband on all that he’s accomplished and looking ahead to the next stage of their lives together.
Wendy wrote:
To my loving husband whom I call Allen and the world calls ‘The Phenomenal AJ Styles,’
Growing up, who knew I would marry a wrestler? Sure, I would watch wrestling with my grandmother but I never had a desire to marry one. Well, we paid for our small wedding with money made by your short stint in the WCW when you started chasing this dream. You always told me to trust you that you would make it. Never once did you doubt yourself. As your bride, I trusted you and even encouraged you to go when the WWE came knocking very early in your career. I believe that required you to move to Cincinnati. I was in college at the time. As a young married couple, you refused. You chose me. Even when I was pushing you to go, you politely declined the offer.
You always said we would do this together and not apart. Together we have. You have traveled the world wrestling and conquered what many only dream of accomplishing. You have put God and your family first in this business. I truly believe God opened every door and allowed not just you but our family to walk through them. For that, I am eternally grateful. You wanted to beat the house. Well, you did. A phenomenal career. Four amazing and individually gifted kids. And a loving, always supportive wife who has stood beside you the entire time. You won. Come home. The phenomenal times are just beginning. I love you, babe.
Styles reacted to the letter by saying that he would be “nothing” without Wendy. Now that he’ll be home more often, he’s looking forward to doing things they couldn’t do before like going for morning walks and working out together.
The podcast episode also included messages from Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Shinsuke Nakamura, Xavier Woods, Abyss, Sami Zayn, The Miz, and Finn Balor congratulating Styles on his career. Balor became emotional while reflecting on all that Styles has meant to him:
I feel so happy for him that he’s able to retire with his health. And AJ, I just want to say congratulations on such an incredible career. From a personal standpoint, I want to say thank you because you’ve always been such a constant source of inspiration for me. And I know we’ve had very similar career paths, but I hope you know that I’ve always, always looked up to you. For me, you are the benchmark for what it is to be a professional both inside and outside of the ring. I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to share the last 10 years with you here in this company. I know we kind of dodged each other a lot on the indies. You were in TNA, I was in Japan. When you came to Japan, I went to NXT. So we missed each other for a long time. But I feel like getting to know you over the last 10 years on a personal level and in the ring and just witnessing how great and phenomenal you really are — I want to say thank you for being AJ Styles.
Despite losing his retirement match, it’s possible that Styles could return to the ring at least one more time in the future. Styles said on “What’s Your Story?” that he thinks every wrestler reserves the right to come out of retirement once. If one of his sons becomes a wrestler, having a tag match with him is something that Styles could be interested in.
AJ Styles lost his WWE retirement match, but he’s not closing the door on the possibility of returning at least one more time in the future.
Whether or not Styles is actually retired has been a huge discussion point since he lost to Gunther at the Royal Rumble last weekend. The stipulation was that Styles would retire if he lost. After being choked out by Gunther, Styles took his gloves off and was going to leave them in the ring. But he instead put the gloves back on, perhaps signaling that he’s not completely done.
Appearing on a new episode of Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Styles was asked to explain what he meant by that moment. He responded that he’s not really sure. There will come a time when he takes his gloves off for good — and that might even be right now — but Styles thinks every wrestler reserves the right to come out of retirement once.
“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Styles said about putting his gloves back on. “Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I know there’s — I think everybody’s allowed at least once coming out of retirement. I’m not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon. I mean, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once. You never know. There’ll be a time when the gloves never go back on and it may be now, but we’ll see.”
Styles said his second-oldest son is interested in pursuing a career in wrestling and is training with him for that possibility. It also wouldn’t surprise Styles if his daughter and oldest son got into wrestling one day. Of his four children, Styles’ youngest son is the only one who hasn’t shown any interest in sports.
“I never thought I would want my kids to wrestle, but it’s way different than it’s ever been and a lot better than it’s ever been,” Styles said. “It’s done right at this point. So I’d be happy if they wrestled.”
Though the Royal Rumble loss was an abrupt ending, it had already been known that Styles would be retiring at some point in 2026. Paul “Triple H” Levesque is hoping that Styles will continue his WWE career in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
“I think that AJ Styles is absolutely a fantastic wrestler. He’s one of my favorites, and I think he’s had an amazing career all over the world. He’s never been in AEW before, but he has wrestled in Ring of Honor, and in Ring of Honor he had some fantastic matches.”
“As a fan, some of my favorite stuff is when AJ Styles was in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He had fantastic matches there. His match with Minoru Suzuki is one of my personal favorites, and he had a great alliance with the Bullet Club at that time.”
Styles and Suzuki met at Korakuen Hall during G1 Climax 24 in 2014. Styles had won the IWGP Heavyweight title from Kazuchika Okada at Wrestling Dontaku less than three months earlier. Dave Meltzer awarded the match four and three-quarter stars.
Khan continued:
“Absolutely some of my personal favorite stuff would have been in New Japan Pro Wrestling with him. He’s somebody who’s had a great career in so many different companies around the world, and certainly I consider him to be one of the all-time greats.”
Khan did not comment on the possibility of Styles one day performing for AEW. Fightful reported earlier this week that Styles’ pending departure from WWE had been a “major point of conversation backstage in AEW at Dynamite.” However, it was also noted that it’s not clear if AEW has made the 48-year-old an offer.
Khan’s comments about Styles are cued in the video below:
Last Saturday at the WWE Royal Rumble, Gunther defeated AJ Styles to retire him, but during the days leading up to it, Styles’ future reportedly became a talking point in AEW.
Fightful Select had previously reported that Styles’ WWE contract was expected to expire in February 2026. However, they were also unable to confirm anything regarding an extension. They noted that it became a “major point of conversation backstage in AEW at Dynamite” last Wednesday as people speculated on his future but that as of Tuesday, they had not heard about AEW making an offer.
On the possibility of working with TNA Wrestling, it was communicated by WWE sources that if Styles wanted to work there, he could have done so while under a WWE contract. A TNA source believed Styles had extended his WWE contract before the Royal Rumble, although it was not confirmed. NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) was also keen on potentially using Styles while in the middle of losing talent.
More on AJ Styles’ retirement and WWE future
In the same report by Fightful Select, it was further noted that a WWE source familiar with Styles’ situation claimed that despite what happens in the future, Styles “very much” had his way when it came to his WWE retirement. Another source claimed that while WWE would happily extend its time with Styles, he had made his stance on retirement clear.
