Tag: AJ Styles

WWE Raw live results: Royal Rumble go-home show in Toronto

Posted on by Steve Khan

Date: January 26, 2026
Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON 

The Big Takeaway —

CM Punk and AJ Styles had their first WWE singles match, and it was for the World Heavyweight Championship. It ended in a DQ. Finn Bálor attacked Punk and laid him out, solidifying him as a heel again. 

Bron Breakker’s suspension has been lifted, and he will enter the Men’s Royal Rumble. The entire Vision will join him, and they’ve made it clear their goal is for Breakker to win. Adam Pearce granted them all a spot in the match, which seemed to surprise Paul Heyman. So there’s more to come there. 

This has not been a particularly strong build to the Royal Rumble, particularly the Rumble matches themselves. Nobody came off like a strong contender except Bron Breakker and maybe Rhea Ripley.

**********

Show Recap — 

There were shots of the stadium being built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of Saturday’s Royal Rumble, followed by a shot of fans lined up outside Scotiabank Arena in my hometown of snowy Toronto for Raw. 

Stephanie Vaquer, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods (getting their hair done), The Vision (including Bron Breakker) were shown at the arena earlier today. 

Michael Cole claimed Scotiabank Arena was sold out with an attendance of 17,853. 

AJ Styles kicks off Raw in Toronto

Styles entered to a big ovation. He said Gunther claimed he would end his career at the Rumble. That was Gunther’s plan, but Styles didn’t plan on going anywhere. (There was a light, “F—k you, Gunther,” chant.)  

Styles acknowledged that 2026 would be the year that he retired. He wasn’t saying that to upset anyone—he was saying it so they could enjoy it together. John Cena showed him how he could say goodbye. 2025 was Cena’s year, and there was no reason 2026 couldn’t be his. 

There were men in locker rooms all over the world that he would love to wrestle one more time. (Interesting phrasing.) He also wanted to be world champion one more time. 

CM Punk entered to a big reaction. Punk said he’s known Styles for more than 20 years. They’ve been friends and enemies, but there was nothing but respect between them now. (Styles agreed.) 

Punk didn’t understand what he was doing by putting his career on the line against Gunther. Guys like them still had a lot left in the tank, and the stakes on Saturday were too high. Styles accused Punk of thinking that he couldn’t beat Gunther. 

Punk wasn’t saying that. He knew Styles could beat Gunther, but the last time they wrestled, Styles did not get his hand raised. And if Styles did retire, that meant the two of them never got to wrestle one-on-one in WWE. (They wrestled in a three-way with Chad Gable last year.)

Styles knew what Punk meant (about facing Gunther), but thought he was being disrespectful. Styles had an idea, and the crowd chanted, “Fight tonight.” Styles told Punk, “I know I can beat Gunther, and I know I can beat you.” Punk said Styles can’t prove that if he loses on Saturday. They both looked around at the crowd. 

Styles said if they did fight tonight, and he won, he should be number one contender for the title after he beats Gunther. Punk said if they were going to wrestle tonight in Toronto, it would be for the belt. Everyone cheered. Punk made the match, and they shook hands.

(Punk vs. Styles for the title was made official during the next match.)

******** 

There was a video package recapping Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Six-woman tag team match: Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer & Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY vs. Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez

The Judgment Day women all wore matching black-and-red gear. Ripley came out to a huge pop, and the crowd sang Iyo Sky’s name as the match began. 

Vaquer entered to a modest applause and went to work on Morgan, but her Devil’s Kiss attempt was broken up by Rodriguez, which upset the fans. Morgan had actually tagged out to Rodriguez moments earlier, but Vaquer didn’t see it because she was distracted by Perez. The referee did see it, but made no attempt to get Morgan out of the ring besides yelling vaguely at her. She remained in the ring for well over 10 seconds before Rodriguez got in. 

Judgment Day maintained control over Vaquer throughout a break. Morgan yanked Sky off the apron, while Rodriguez attacked Ripley from behind. The referee was ok with all of this. 

Vaquer finally did make a hot tag to Sky, who hit Perez with uppercuts, a flying dropkick, and a corner meteora. Morgan saved Perez from a moonsault, but Sky followed with a butterfly backbreaker. Morgan distracted the ref by messing up the ring skirt while Perez raked Sky’s eyes. Perez and Morgan hit a combo Russian leg sweep/Codebreaker for two. 

Sky made the next hot tag to Ripley, who gave Morgan a Razor’s Edge into Rodriguez. Ripley blocked a Pop Rox and clobbered Perez with a clothesline. Ripley followed with a missile dropkick to Rodriguez (who was in the ring a long time despite not being legal, but this referee obviously does not care). 

Morgan fought back with a tornado DDT on Ripley, but Sky broke up the cover. Everyone traded moves until Vaquel wiped out Rodriguez with a diving splash to the outside. 

Morgan went for Oblivion, but Ripley blocked it. Perez had made a blind tag, and they tried their combo move again, but Sky wiped out Morgan with a flying dropkick. Ripley finished off Perez with a Rip-tide for the pinfall win. 

The three winners celebrated. (Corey Graves noted that Vaquer was limping by the end of the match, which was the same injury she’s been selling the past several weeks.) 

Match result: Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY & Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (12:54)

A fun TV match despite the dumb referee. Ripley was the most over person in the match, and she got another win ahead of the Rumble, where she’ll be one of the favourites. 

********

There was a dramatic recap of Punk successfully defending his title over Finn Bálor last week in Belfast. 

Bálor approached Punk backstage. Bálor initially seemed in a bad mood after coming up short last week, but said Punk was part of the most memorable night of his career. Punk picked him up after the match and gave him his flowers, but Bálor didn’t return the favour, so he will now. Bálor thanked him. 

Punk thanked him, too. Punk said he couldn’t be the best in the world unless he beat the best. Punk considered Bálor one of the greats, and he earned the shot. Cena was gone, and there weren’t a lot of guys like them left. Punk advised him that he might want to ditch Judgment Day if he really wanted to be champion. Punk told him to win the Rumble, and maybe he’d see him again. Punk left, and Bálor nodded. 

********

There’s a commercial specifically for the special Triple H edition of WWE 2K26. I’m not even sure they’ve advertised the actual game yet. 

Bron Breakker and Adam Pearce face-to-face 

The Vision entered. Paul Heyman did his usual bit, called Toronto a second-rate city, and introduced each member of The Vision. Logan Paul got a lot of heat, of course. Heyman gave special attention to Bron Breakker. 

Heyman noted that Breakker was there because Adam Pearce wanted a face-to-face, but Heyman wanted to examine why this was happening first. Heyman showed a replay of Pearce putting his hands on Breakker first (before Breakker tried to kill him). Heyman said that was not appropriate behaviour for the Raw general manager. Heyman also showed a replay of Rey Mysterio pinning Austin Theory last week, thanks to Pearce planting the brass knuckles on the apron. 

Pearce entered. He admitted that things got out of hand, and he put his hands on Breakker first. He apologized. Breakker laughed. Pearce pledged to them all that it would not happen again. Pearce knew what Heyman was going to say next, and he already made it official: Breakker’s suspension was over, and he was in the Royal Rumble match. 

Heyman was happy and asked for a handshake. Pearce called Heyman a master negotiator, so he willingly entered Logan Paul, Bronson Reed and Austin Theory into the Rumble. Heyman was caught off guard by this. Pearce also knew that Theory felt cheated after last week, so he put him in a match against Rey Mysterio—tonight. 

When the segment was over, all members of The Vision were happy, while Heyman was confused. Cole did not know what to make of Pearce’s decision. 

Austin Theory (w/ The Vision) vs. Rey Mysterio (w/ Penta & Dragon Lee)

Theory held control with a chin lock and tried to get some heat by going for Rey’s mask, but the crowd didn’t bite. The fight spilled to the outside, and Rey sent Theory flying into the ring post. As the outside parties argued, Rey hit Theory with a seated senton off the barricade. Rey smacked Reed’s head before heading back into the ring. 

This led to a second commercial break (the match started during a break), so about 5 of the first 8 and a half minutes of the match happened during commercials. 

Rey went after Theory outside the ring, but Theory dumped him onto the ring steps and placed him in another rest hold in the ring, just long enough to bring us back from break. Rey tried a springboard crossbody, but Theory nailed him with a mid-air forearm and an Ataxia (flatliner variation) for two. 

Dragon Lee checked on Rey outside the ring, so Logan shoved him. Penta superkicked Logan. Dragon Lee tried to take out Reed, but Reed caught him and drove him into the barricade before Logan yanked Penta off the apron. 

Rey kicked Logan, but the distraction allowed Theory to hit the ring with a curb stomp for the pinfall win. 

— Breakker attacked Penta and Dragon Lee after the match, and The Vision laid out the two men. Paul gave Dragon Lee a frog splash, while Breakker speared Penta, and Reed finished off Penta with a Tsunami. 

(Notably, it seemed like they were trying to set up Rey for a spear, but the referee frantically got between them and got Rey out of the ring. So perhaps after taking the curb stomp, they wanted to be safe with Rey.) 

Match result: Logan Paul defeated Rey Mysterio (11:23) 

This was a nothing match just to get Theory a win, finally. 

It turns out Rey may have gotten injured, so hopefully it isn’t serious. He seemed fine all match until they got him out of the ring for the post-match angle. 

*******

There was a Natalya video promo. She said she made Maxxine Dupri, but Dupri failed. Dupri didn’t fail herself, she failed Natalya. Rolling with a legend didn’t mean she could roll like a legend. There was a whole new Natalya, and when she was done with Dupri, was coming for it all (the IC title). “Because Natalya elevates, but Nattie decimates.”

Rodriguez marched around backstage, loudly screaming for Vaquer. Bayley was nearby and called her an idiot because she (Bayley) was on the phone. Lyra Valkyria got between them, so Rodriguez continued on her way until she was attacked by Vaquer. Officials quickly separated them. 

Byron Saxton interviewed Je’Von Evans during a break. Evans made the mistake of wearing a Boston Red Sox toque, so he was greeted with a “Let’s go Blue Jays” chant. Evans’ goal was to main event WrestleMania, which first meant winning the Rumble. He declared himself for the match. 

********

Gunther sit-down interview 

Cole interviewed Gunther in the Toronto Raptors locker room. Gunther said he agreed to Saturday’s match because he had something to gain by ending Styles’ career. He was sick of the old-timers overstaying their welcome, chasing one moment after another. Those moments belonged to him. 

Goldberg chased after a moment, but Gunther took it away. Cena chased moments for a full year, but all anyone would talk about now was that he gave up to him in his last match. Now, Styles had this idea of a long, emotional farewell tour, but Gunther wasn’t interested. 

Gunther noted that Cole was an old-timer, too. He asked Cole how long he planned on sticking around chasing a moment. He could kick the chair out and end Cole’s career right now, but he told Cole not to worry. Gunther wanted Cole at ringside on Saturday so he could say the career of the Phenomenal AJ Styles was over. 

This was really good. 

********

Bálor approached Pearce to declare himself for the Rumble. Pearce said Bálor already had his shot at the title last week, so he filled Bálor’s Rumble spot with someone else. He said the Rumble was full. Bálor said the Rumble couldn’t be full without him. Pearce reiterated that the match was full. Bálor left while contemplating what to do next. 

Morgan confronted Bálor. She accused Punk of giving him a participation trophy, and Bálor thanked him for it. She heard Punk say he should leave Judgment Day, but Punk didn’t really want him to be champion, while his family in Judgment Day did. Bálor said this wasn’t as straightforward as she thought. He said he would take care of it. 

********

Jey Uso entered ahead of a break to watch the next match. (No Jimmy again. They are in Canada, after all. Cole said he was dealing with personal issues.) Jey tried to run back his entrance music, but was cut off by American Made. 

Scottie Barnes was shown in the crowd, and he got a nice ovation.

Fatal four-way to determine tag team title number one contenders: The New Day (w/ Grayson Waller) vs. Alpha Academy vs. American Made (w/ Ivy Nile) vs. Los Americanos 

It doesn’t say much about the tag division (or more specifically, having two sets of tag titles) that this was the field to determine number one contenders. 

During a break, Xavier Woods confronted Cole at the desk and loudly told him, “I am Xavier, and that’s Kofi. Get it right from here on out!” Cole responded, “What was that all about?”  

The crowd didn’t react to anything until Otis got in, and then they were into it. (Amazing Otis can have this effect after all this time of being a background character.) Otis hit a Caterpillar elbow, but the cover was broken up. Everyone attacked Otis, so Akira Tozawa made the stave and hit Bravo Americano with a German suplex. Tozawa then wiped out all three teams with suicide dives. 

Tozawa set up Kingston for a diving senton, but Woods distracted the referee, so Waller tripped Tozawa. The referee admonished Waller until Jey superkicked Waller over the barricade. 

Otis beat up the other teams single-handedly and slammed Julius onto Brutus. Tozawa followed with a diving senton on Julius for the pinfall win. 

Alpha Academy will face The Usos for the tag titles. Jey bumped fists with Otis and Tozawa post-match. 

Match result: Akira Tozawa & Otis defeated American Made, Los Americanos & The New Day (10:53)

******** 

Jackie Redmond, wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jacket, interviewed Becky Lynch. Lynch called her win last week monumental, but Redmond wouldn’t know anything about monumental wins wearing a jacket like that. 

Lynch noted Natalya went after the match. Lynch understood, because Natalya trained Dupri from nothing, and she remained nothing. She compared it to training loser Lyra. Now Natalya was coming after her title, but Natalya would have to win the Rumble first, and that was laughable. 

Lynch said she was entering the Rumble match. Kairi Sane and Asuka interrupted. Sane said Lynch would not win the Rumble because Asuka would, and Lynch was not ready. Lynch said she was ready because she’s already beaten Asuka. Sane tried to explain this to Asuka, who was standing right there. Asuka cut her off and told Lynch she would see her in the Rumble. 

******* 

Je’Von Evans approached Styles as he warmed up. Evans hoped to see him after Saturday. Styles shook his hand. (Evans turned his hat around to hide the Red Sox logo.) 

Elsewhere, Vaquer told Pearce she didn’t want a match against Rodriguez—she wanted a fight. Pearce made a street fight for the title next week in Philadelphia. 

******** 

Royal Rumble card (start time 2 pm ET/11 am PT): 

  • AJ Styles vs. Gunther with Styles’ career on the line 
  • Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship 
  • 30 Woman Royal Rumble match 
  • 30 Man Royal Rumble match 

********

The Vision met backstage to discuss what their plan was now that they were all in the Rumble. Logan got up and said they should go into the match with one goal and one vision. He said they should ensure a victory for one man: Bron Breakker. Reed and Theory were both in full agreement. (Breakker had no discernible reaction to this.) 

******** 

There was an Oba Femi video package. He will be in the Rumble. 

World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. AJ Styles

There were modest duelling chants as they got started, and each man went for their finishers early on, but a series of counters led to Styles applying a cradle for two. Punk got the better of their next exchange and hit Styles with an elbow and chop to the upper back. Styles came back with a dropkick. Punk fell outside, and Styles nailed a sliding knee. 

Styles was in control through a break until Punk whipped him hard into the corner after the break. The crowd chanted for tables. Punk followed with a neckbreaker, a lifting knee strike, a bulldog, and a shining wizard for two. Styles came back with a series of strikes, a running forearm, and a corner splash, but Punk fired right back with a clothesline for two. 

Styles blocked a GTS and followed with a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two. Punk knocked Styles off the middle turnbuckle and hit a flying elbow drop for two. Punk immediately applied an Anaconda Vice until Styles countered out of it. Styles tried setting up for a Styles Clash, but Punk drove him into the turnbuckles. 

Punk tried a shining wizard again, but Styles caught him and set up a Styles Clash. Punk avoided it again, so Styles dumped him from the ring. Punk blocked a sliding knee and hit a GTS (outside the ring). Punk initially tried getting Styles into the ring, but it was taking too long, so Punk slipped back into the ring at an eight count, while Styles got in at nine. 

Styles was down selling, and Punk wasn’t sure what to do next, so Styles suddenly caught him in a Styles Clash for a nearfall. Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Punk knocked him off the top rope. They exchanged strikes until Styles hit a Pelé Kick. 

Styles tried setting up the Clash again before Punk got him on his shoulders to try a GTS. Styles held the top rope, and as the two men struggled for position, Finn Bálor suddenly popped in the ring and dropkicked Punk into the corner (knocking Styles out of the ring) for the DQ. 

Bálor dropkicked Punk into the barricade and gave him a Coup de Grace in the ring. Punk rolled to his side, so Bálor hit the Coup de Grace again, this time on his ribs. Bálor hit the move one more time and stood tall as the show ended. 

Match result: CM Punk vs. AJ Styles ended in a disqualification — Punk retains the World Heavyweight Championship (18:11)

Daily Update: UFC & WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event fallout, Shinsuke Nakamura

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*A look at Saturday Night’s Main Event, the interest level, the Royal Rumble and Rumble odds
*Big Bad Bobby Duncum, a look at the career of a worldwide headliner who worked on top with almost every major babyface of the 70s, including big WWF and AWA runs and Japanese major tournaments
*CMLL has a big business week with Bandido, Ricochet, Komander, Gates of Agony and Lee Moriarty.  A look at some of the best matches so far this year and the craziness that ruined could have been the best of all of them.
*A look at prior plans for 2025 PPV shows that changed
*A look at Netflix numbers over the past six months, as well as how every PPV in 2025 did and some surprises in that direction, as well as how Smackdown did internationally as well as NXT, and how shows that went head-to-head with AEW PPVs drew.
*Notes on the TNA ratings for the first show on AMC and what they tell us.
*TNA Genesis coverage
*2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards ballot
*More AEW stars to CMLL next week
*AAA TV taping notes
*Thoughts on the current AAA product and how it relates to Lucha Libre and WWE
*Stardom makes claim against Marigold
*Saya Kamitani returns early
*Notes about a mainstream model who became one of the first big stars in Stardom and women’s MVP
*Best tag team match of the year
*New Japan next major show lineup
*Eight promotions combine for a singles tournament
*The potential best actual wrestler in the world signs with RAF
*Feast or Fired thoughts
*More on AEW’s future with the WBD sale to Netflix
*Trey Miguel situation
*Ticket sales for upcoming WWE & AEW shows
*The most detailed look at the TV ratings over the past week
*UFC returns to action with first big show of 2026
*Top exec since the inception of  PFL leaves
*More notes regarding a lawsuit against Vince McMahon and WWE
*WWE headliner talks bowing out
*WWE and AEW injury updates
*Punk movie box office
*Talent coming and going from promotions
*TKO and WWE execs get millions this quarter

This issue covers the following topics:

  • The changes in the WrestleMania plans, the Drew McIntyre title win, Roman Reigns return and the whys.
  • WWE getting Will Hobbs while AEW signs a slew of new talent as well. A look at each case-by-case.
  • Notes on the big weekend coming to Mexico City
  • Kayla Harrison injury and what is the future for the biggest women’s fight in years
  • Win-loss records and total bouts for all top WWE/NXT talent in 2025
  • WWE Iron Man winner from 1984-2025
  • What cutting back on the schedule has taught us about injuries
  • Who gets protected in booking and who doesn’t
  • The problem with the current schedule and development of young talent
  • A star who has been around through various eras talks timing and injuries and best schedule
  • A look at TNA’s debut on AMC, what went right and wrong
  • When did wrestling start being a work. Studying of history shows it’s a lot earlier than you would think
  • Odds for WWE matches upcoming
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the pro wrestling shows this past week, as well as comparisons with the past and a look at the level of declines and why
  • What wrestler has already main evented 12 sold out shows in 2026
  • One woman wrestler announces retirement and another retires
  • Kazuchika Okada in Japan
  • Most watched New Japan World matches of 2025
  • Ted DiBiase Jr. on trial
  • Death of Rick Link, from fan clubs to main events
  • Jesse Ventura speaks about the current political environment
  • The greatest wrestler in the world signs with Eric Bischoff’s promotion
  • Tons of major independent shows coming
  • AEW gets TV in new market
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA events
  • Most viewed YouTube videos from AEW and WWE
  • Tag team returning to AEW
  • Dana White shuts down talk of major match
  • A new lawsuit filed against WWE
  • Notes on the recent WWE tryout
  • Notes on all the WWE arena shows this past week.

This Week’s Back Issue

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Sunday Update

— We did two shows over the weekend. Our Friday show talked about the news of the week, Rumble, Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE Unreal, a look at how many people outside the U.S. watched the PPV shows in 2025 and the surprises. Last night we talked about the first UFC show on Paramount, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event and the rest of the weekend news.

— Pretty much everyone stepped up last night with the SNME show in Montreal. Every match and the non-match with Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu delivered, particularly AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The weather made travel difficult but everyone was there advertised. AEW and many independent shows last night were canceled, which is why AEW taped Collision on Wednesday instead of last night in Arlington, TX.

— Regarding the Shinsuke Nakamura Instagram post regarding AJ Styles and that he was retiring at the Royal Rumble, he later took that down. It was legit in the sense Styles did tell him he was finishing up at the Rumble. It wasn’t a planted story so they can say they fooled the Internet. That doesn’t mean they can’t change it but to do so Gunther would have to lose, and that was not the plan.

— There evidently was a ton of interest in UFC’s debut on Paramount last night. It did 2.5 million searches, the second most searched for topic of the weekend behind Alex Pretti. Saturday Nights’ Main Event was No. 21 with 100,000. UFC had seven of the top 100 searches with Paddy Pimblett leading.

— Regarding scoring from last night, in the Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett bout, there was no doubt Gaethje won. I had it 48-46 (10-8 round two) although scores varied ranging from 49-45 to 48-47. However Gaethje did a second eye poke that should have cost him a point since he’d been warned and followed up with some big punches after. It was an early fight of the year candidate. Not great on the skill side since Gaethje was just firing big punches, with some major misses, but he landed enough of them hard enough to win. Most wouldn’t have stayed standing. Pimblett did show a lot of durability.

— In Sean O’Malley vs. Song Yadong the judges had it 29-28 across the board with O’Malley getting rounds one and three on all scorecards. Media scores were 59 percent for O’Malley so it was a close fight.

— Most had Rose Namajunas over Natalia Silva. All three judges had rounds one and three for Silva. However, media scores were 74 percent for Namajunas. The winner was to get a shot at Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title, but I could see that not happening since either looked like they should be getting a title fight coming out of this.

— Lilian Garcia will be the ring announcer on Raw tomorrow night. Alicia Taylor was unable to get into Toronto due to flight cancellations. Garcia was in Montreal for last night’s show so they had her go to Toronto to fill in.

— There was a very notable increase in viewers for NXT last Tuesday. While the overall number was about the same as usual (608,000 viewers and 0.08 in 18-49), it grew from 18,000 to 68,000 in 18-49 from the first half hour to the final half hour, which was the three-way women’s tag match with Sol Ruca & Zaria over Kendall Grey & Wren Sinclair. It also went from 68,000 to 156,000 in 18-49 over the same period. That is an extremely unusual level of growth.

— Last night’s fight with Michael Johnson vs. Alexander Hernandez was pulled from the UFC show. What happened was all of a sudden a ton of money was coming in on Johnson, the underdog. Evidently Hernandez was injured, the word got around from people who knew him and started betting on him to lose. The odds started falling which is the sign of either a fixed fight or people getting inside info and using it to lay a lot of money down in one direction. After the last time this happened and UFC didn’t call the fight, which in hindsight appeared to be fixed, Dana White said that they had gotten called from the gaming integrity service and they decided to pull the fight. There were gambling sites that had already pulled the fight by that time.

— CMLL had a big last two nights. Usually for Friday, and even more for Saturday, it takes a major show to sell out. Friday was just a normal Mistico & Mascara Dorada vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Averno and they drew 16,000 to Arena Mexico. Last night at Arena Coliseo, the sellout was Templario & Atlantis Jr. vs. Volador Jr.

— Juggalo Championship Wrestling announced a 4/17 show in Las Vegas at the Horseshoe Casino for StrangleMania. It will air on Triller on 4/24 at 7 pm with seven matches. The main event is Vampiro’s retirement match against PCO. Yes, he is going to Terry Funk’s record. Plus Rob Van Dam & Willie Mack & 2 Tuff Tony vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson & KENTA, a four-way for the JCW world title with Ken Anderson, Nic Nemeth, Matt Riddle and Kaleb Conley with James Storm as referee. Also appearing are John Layfield, The Rock & Roll Express, Vince Russo, EC3, Ninja Mack, George South, ICP and Mecha Wolf.

— They’ve been in talks with Layfield about becoming a full-time performer on their weekly television show. They are also repackaging EC3 as a full-timer with a new gimmick starting on the 2/27 show in Miami. Former ECW personality Joel Gertner will also become a regular and will manage a tag team. Former WCW announcer Scott Hudson will be coming in in maybe six weeks or so. Jonathan Coachman will also be a TV regular.

— Mayu Iwatani had her 15th anniversary show at the Marigold show yesterday at Korakuen Hall, beating Utami Hayashishita. Iyo Sky and Kairi Sane, who were the big three stars with Iwatani in Stardom for years, sent massive flowers to Iwatani at the show.

— Willow Nightingale has been added to the Pro Wrestling Eve show on 3/8 in London that Will Ospreay is part of putting together.

— 48 years ago today was the Superbowl of Wrestling, with NWA champion Harley Race vs. WWWF champion Superstar Billy Graham at the Orange Bowl in Miami. This clip from the WWE Vault off Championship Wrestling from Florida shows the press conference and highlights of the 60-minute match with the wet ring from a rainstorm. Graham told me about this, as it was one of the bigger matches of his career. It was not a fond memory as he was not a wrestler to go 60 and doing it in the rain made it worse. It was not the financial success expected because in those days everyone bought tickets the day of, and people didn’t want to go to an outdoor stadium in the rain.

— Nik Sobic, the Senior Vice President of Business Development, Partnerships and Video Games with AEW, has been let go. He had been with AEW since the start working in business, live events and on the video game.

— Mercedes Martinez appears for Progress Wrestling on 3/29 in London at the Electric Ballroom.

— The woman on Collision last night who took the selfie with Andrade was Sofia Sivan, who is an independent woman wrestler.

— Ian Douglass has written a new book called Highland Games and Hippodromes: Scottish Identity and Influence at the Dawn of the American Pro Wrestling Industry, about the early era of pro wrestling in the U.S. and Scotland. He focuses on Donald Dinnie (a super athlete at the time), Duncan C. Ross, Duncan McMillan and Dan McLeod, and how they shaped pro wrestling in the U.S. from 1870 to 1905. Drew McIntyre wrote the foreword.

— Roy Wayne Farris (Honky Tonk Man) turned 73 today. Rod Price turned 64. Stephanie Bellars, the former Gorgeous George with Randy Savage in WCW, turned 50. Michelle McCool turned 46. Stu Grayton turned 37. Willow Nightingale turned 32. Jay Briscoe was born 42 years ago today. (thanks to Tony Richards)

— Georgiann Makropolous, who was well known inside wrestling for doing newsletters and was someone many, including myself, considered a close friend, died 16 years ago today at the age of 67. She helped so many wrestlers out with bookings and connections and asked for no money for her work. She was the President of both the Bruno Sammartino Fan Club in the 60s (the biggest in the country) and the Buddy Rogers Fan Club, which tells you something because they hated each other.

— The University of Nebraska set its home college wrestling attendance record last night in their meet against Iowa at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. They drew 7,891 fans, breaking the record of 7,094 set earlier this season against Oklahoma State.

— Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling sold out more than a week in advance in Newark, CA for the annual January Battle Royal and Roy Shire trophy. The Cow Palace Battle Royal was the biggest show of the year in Northern California during the 70s and led to the creation of the Royal Rumble by Pat Patterson, also held annually in late January. CJ Cleary won the Battle Royal. Other results saw Ricochet b Starboy Charlie in what I was told was a fantastic match, Cleary b Alan Angels, Gates of Agony b Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito (why is this guy not signed anywhere?), Aaron Solo & Chase Emery b Big Fonz & Marcus Lewis, Los Suavecitos b Hard Boy Summer, VertVixen b Brittniue Brooks. The next show is 3/20. They are also running Las Vegas on 4/17 over WrestleMania week. (thanks to Jim Davis)

Shinsuke Nakamura potentially spoils AJ Styles vs. Gunther result

Posted on by Ian Carey

Shinsuke Nakamura may have spoiled the result of AJ Styles vs. Gunther at the WWE Royal Rumble.

Following Nakamura and Styles’ match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal, Nakamura posted a statement to Instagram about his longtime rival. In the since-deleted post, Nakamura mentioned that Styles previously told him that he plans to retire at this year’s Royal Rumble.

“During last year’s Australia tour, at a house show in Melbourne, AJ gave a speech after the match. Listening to it, it was clear he was thanking the fans. But somehow, it also felt like he was hinting that retirement might not be that far away. The tour continued to Japan, and before the shows there, I asked him something. We were in a van on the way to the meet and greet. I asked him, ‘When are you going to retire’ He answered, ‘The Royal Rumble. I’ve already decided.'”

Styles’ career will be on the line when he wrestles Gunther on the January 31 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Should it be his final match with WWE, it would mark 10 years from his debut in the company, which took place at the 2016 Royal Rumble.

Nakamura’s post is no longer published on Instagram. However, fans online have captured screenshots of it below:

https://twitter.com/AnnetteReid247/status/2015345780916203862

The full text of Nakamura’s post reads:

“During last year’s Australia tour, at a house show in Melbourne, AJ gave a speech after the match.

Listening to it, it was clear he was thanking the fans. But somehow, it also felt like he was hinting that retirement might not be that far away.

The tour continued to Japan, and before the shows there, I asked him something.

We were in a van on the way to the meet and greet.

I asked him,

“When are you going to retire?”

He answered,

“The Royal Rumble. I’ve already decided.”

Me…

…!!!

Whether I actually said it out loud or just thought it for a split second, I’m not sure. But I remember it clearly.

“Before you retire, I want to wrestle you one more time.”

AJ nodded.

Before the match started, he showed me something he had written on his phone.

It was a message he wanted to say to the Japanese fans.

He asked me to turn it into proper Japanese.

It talked about his anxiety and excitement when he first came to Japan,

and his gratitude toward Japan for accepting him.

It was, without question, a farewell message.

As his voice, I gave that speech in Japanese, putting as much emotion into it as I possibly could.

That was the moment when his retirement finally started to feel real to me.

Even though it was still a little further down the road compared to guys like Cena or Tanahashi,

I found myself imagining the enormous sense of loss that would eventually come.

Ten years ago.

2016. Tokyo Dome.

It was our first ever singles match.

That match was later praised all over the world, and not long after, we both left New Japan Pro Wrestling and came to WWE.

We never talked about our futures with each other.

I think we just happened to make huge decisions at the same time.

In America, I was just pushing forward without thinking.

I finished NXT and reunited with AJ on the main roster.

AJ, on the other hand, took over WWE like a fish in water.

He brought a new wind everywhere he went.

And honestly, I remember thinking, “Yeah, that figures.”

Our reunion moment at Money in the Bank,

my Royal Rumble victory,

and then our singles match at WrestleMania.

I don’t think any of that would have happened if AJ hadn’t pushed it.

I still have some regrets about what happened after our WrestleMania match,

but the final match of that rivalry, our singles match at Money in the Bank in Detroit,

is actually one of my favorite matches ever so.

He’s straightforward, easy to read, and impossible to hate.

His everyday clothes are terrible, and he’s got that Southern American accent.

What a lovely American.

And yet, when it comes to professional wrestling,

his balance of expression and technique is the best in the world.

Truly one of a kind.

I don’t say it out loud, but I rely on him.

I respect him.

And even though we don’t actually know each other as deeply as people might think,

to me, he’s special. Almost like a brother and a best friend, in my own way.

And now…

our final match awaits.

My last chance to give him the perfect send off.

Do your best, me.

And pro wrestling gods, please be kind.”

WOL: Jade is Jade, WWE in transition, SNME preview

Posted on by Jim Valley

On location from Portland, Oregon, it’s Wrestling Observer Live with Jim Valley.

With new talent like Trick Williams, Lash Legend and others being put in positions to learn from veterans and vets like AJ Styles preparing to exit, 2026 (maybe ’27, too) looks to be a year of transition in WWE.

It’s time to accept that Jade Cargill is who she is as an athlete. She’s been wrestling for nearly seven years.

We saw new Tag Team champions crowned and the build for Saturday Night’s Main Event on Smackdown.

The people who are criticizing Powerhouse Hobbs’s new WWE name lack creativity and vision. Toni Storm, Mina Shirakawa, Collision and more. Check it out.

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AJ Styles, Gunther segments announced for WWE Raw

Posted on by Bryan Rose

New segments have been announced for Raw.

It was announced on Friday that AJ Styles will speak on Monday just days prior to his match against Gunther at the Royal Rumble. It was also revealed that Gunther will be interviewed.

The two will meet at the Royal Rumble after Gunther won their first encounter. Styles demanded a second match, but The Ring General refused. It wasn’t until Styles offered to put up his career that Gunther eventually agreed.

On Friday’s SmackDown, GM Nick Aldis asked Styles why he would agree to such a stipulation. Styles explained his reasons, saying that while he accepted Gunther beating John Cena, he was tired of the disrespect that came following it. Aldis then revealed he had another reason for bringing Styles to SmackDown: Shinsuke Nakamura. The two rivals met face-to-face and agreed to a match for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

WWE Raw (January 26):

  • Bron Breakker returns from suspension
  • Four-way number one contender’s match for World Tag Team titles: The New Day vs. American Made vs. American Alpha vs. Los Americanos
  • AJ Styles to speak
  • Gunther to be interviewed

New match announced for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event

Posted on by Bryan Rose

AJ Styles will meet an old rival at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

During SmackDown, Aldis asked Styles why he would put his career on the line against Gunther at the Royal Rumble. Styles shared his feelings about Gunther’s recent actions, but then Aldis revealed he had another reason to bring him to Montreal. Shinsuke Nakamura then walked in and said before he stepped into the ring with Gunther, Styles should prove he’s still phenomenal by facing him. The two agreed to the match for Saturday.

Styles and Nakamura have feuded in the past, both in New Japan Pro Wrestling and in WWE. They wrestled in the co-main event of Wrestle Kingdom 10 which saw Nakamura retain the IWGP Intercontinental title over Styles.

The match comes as Styles is set to put his career on the line against Gunther at the Royal Rumble. After Gunther emerged victorious in their first match, Styles demanded a second. But Gunther would only face Styles again if he put up his career, which he agreed to.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event (January 24)

  • Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Number one contender’s match for WWE Championship: Damian Priest vs. Randy Orton vs. Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams’
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team titles: Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY defend against Judgment Day (Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez)
  • AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Wrestling Weekly: Will AJ Styles’ final match be at the WWE Royal Rumble?

Posted on by Victor Sosa

Image: WWE

Is the end of the career of AJ Styles upon us?

On this edition of Wrestling Weekly, Les Thatcher and Vic Sosa discuss his career and the possibilities that exist for Styles vs. Gunther at next weekend’s Royal Rumble.

We also look at Cody Rhodes’ recent comments regarding house shows and the latest episode of AEW Dynamite.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Daily Update: Marissa McMahon, AJ Styles, MJF

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

This issue covers the following topics:

  • The changes in the WrestleMania plans, the Drew McIntyre title win, Roman Reigns return and the whys.
  • WWE getting Will Hobbs while AEW signs a slew of new talent as well. A look at each case-by-case.
  • Notes on the big weekend coming to Mexico City
  • Kayla Harrison injury and what is the future for the biggest women’s fight in years
  • Win-loss records and total bouts for all top WWE/NXT talent in 2025
  • WWE Iron Man winner from 1984-2025
  • What cutting back on the schedule has taught us about injuries
  • Who gets protected in booking and who doesn’t
  • The problem with the current schedule and development of young talent
  • A star who has been around through various eras talks timing and injuries and best schedule
  • A look at TNA’s debut on AMC, what went right and wrong
  • When did wrestling start being a work. Studying of history shows it’s a lot earlier than you would think
  • Odds for WWE matches upcoming
  • The most detailed look at the ratings of all the pro wrestling shows this past week, as well as comparisons with the past and a look at the level of declines and why
  • What wrestler has already main evented 12 sold out shows in 2026
  • One woman wrestler announces retirement and another retires
  • Kazuchika Okada in Japan
  • Most watched New Japan World matches of 2025
  • Ted DiBiase Jr. on trial
  • Death of Rick Link, from fan clubs to main events
  • Jesse Ventura speaks about the current political environment
  • The greatest wrestler in the world signs with Eric Bischoff’s promotion
  • Tons of major independent shows coming
  • AEW gets TV in new market
  • Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA events
  • Most viewed YouTube videos from AEW and WWE
  • Tag team returning to AEW
  • Dana White shuts down talk of major match
  • A new lawsuit filed against WWE
  • Notes on the recent WWE tryout
  • Notes on all the WWE arena shows this past week.

This Week’s Back Issue

FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH

Thursday Update

WWE

Other Wrestling

  • While calling into Busted Open Radio today, MJF said he wants to defend the AEW World Championship against Nic Nemeth:
    • MJF: Nemeth, whenever you find your balls, let me know. I’d love to wrestle you for the title as well. Good day, sir.
    • Nemeth: Wow. What a call. I was just offered an AEW title shot… I’m really focused, surprisingly, on the TNA World title – tonight possibly even. But, wow, AEW Champion. You’ve got Swerve and Hangman and Joe all going after MJF – and he’s thinking about me. I’m on board. I like that. I always wondered if he could hang in the ring. We’ll find out one day, I guess.
  • Wrestle Radio Australia interviewed MJF.
  • Mansoor, Mason Madden, and Johnny TV have been announced for CMLL’s show at Arena Mexico on January 30.
  • Chris Jericho spoke to Soundsphere about the importance of reinventing yourself:
    • Reinvention is important at any stage of your career, because you want to keep people excited and motivated about what you’re doing. The [Rolling] Stones last record, ‘Hackney Diamonds’ was great. Why wouldn’t The Stones release a new album? Because they’re artists, and that’s what artists do. Keeping things fresh and exciting is something I believe in wholeheartedly. There’s nothing wrong with having tinges, but you still want to create new things as well, so you’re not just a nostalgia act.
  • Marigold wished Mayu Iwatani a happy 15th anniversary of her pro wrestling debut.
  • Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling announced more details for its four-show U.S. tour that’s taking place in Texas this March.
  • Joe Karni has an interview with Mike Santana.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Paul London looked back on his official SmackDown debut match being against Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship:
    • I think that stemmed out of that thing where he had decimated Brian [Kendrick]. He took that crazy F5 into the ring post bump, which is still, I have no idea how he did that. He even took a weird back bump from the floor up against the turnbuckles. Brian did an amazing job, incredible worker. But then he did the thing with Zach Gowen, where he bled him out like a stuck pig. Then it was me. But the same thing happened where I’m in the ring with Brock going over it. Arn is the agent. I love Arn Anderson. I actually have one of his trading cards, I carry it with me everywhere. But he’s like, oh, ‘What can you do, kid? Gotta make this guy look like a son of a bitch.’ I’m like, I think he’s doing a pretty good job on his own. He doesn’t have a neck. He’s shaped like Ram Man. And I’m like, ‘Well, if he clotheslines me right off the bat, I can do a 360.’ So I wouldn’t say Brock took a liking to me, but we were always cool, always cool after that. I mean, he wouldn’t say hi to anybody a lot of times, but he was always cool to me.
  • Tully Blanchard turns 72 years old today.

Nick Aldis invites AJ Styles to appear on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

AJ Styles has now officially accepted Nick Aldis’ invitation for Friday’s show:

**********

An appearance by AJ Styles is in the works for WWE SmackDown this Friday night.

On Monday’s Raw episode, it was announced that Styles would be putting his career on the line when he faces off against Gunther at the Royal Rumble. WWE has now followed up on that by posting a video with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis inviting Styles to Friday’s show. Aldis said he is looking forward to chatting with an old friend.

“Before he puts his career on the line at the Royal Rumble, I’d like to take this chance to formally invite the Phenomenal AJ Styles to SmackDown this week,” Aldis said. “I would love to have a chat with an old friend. After all, SmackDown is the house that AJ Styles built. My door is always open, AJ. Think about it.”

Styles is legitimately set to retire at some point in 2026 — and WWE has worked that into his feud with Gunther. They faced off on the January 12 edition of Raw with Gunther getting the win. He tricked Styles by tapping out behind the referee’s back, then used a low blow when Styles thought the match was over. Styles wanted a rematch, but Gunther would only agree to face him again if Styles put his career on the line.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada is hosting SmackDown on Friday and WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event the following night. The Royal Rumble will then be held in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, January 23) —

  • WWE Tag Team Champions The Wyatt Sicks defend against The MFTs
  • Women’s Tag Team title number one contender’s match: Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Giulia & Kiana James vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend
  • Nathan Frazer vs. Johnny Gargano
  • Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams
  • AJ Styles invited to appear

WOR: AJ’s career, RAW report, Trey Miguel, Je’Von Evans

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the latest on the ring boys lawsuit, New Japan and CMLL updates from the last several days, the RAW report, AJ Styles putting his career on the line at the Royal Rumble, Je’Von Evan’s injury, Trey Miguel, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:
Start: WWE ring boy lawsuit update
2:47: NJPW & CMLL show thoughts, AAA spoiler notes
19:29: WWE Raw recap, lineups for the week
50:34: Trey Miguel apologizes after comments resurface, Q&A questions

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AJ Styles to put career on line at WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Styles is set to retire at some point in 2026 — and that could potentially happen as soon as the Royal Rumble.

WWE has announced that Gunther vs. Styles will take place at the Saturday, January 31 PLE in Saudi Arabia. It’s a career-threatening match where Styles will retire if he loses. He agreed to the stipulation after it was proposed by Gunther as the only way that Gunther would accept another match after how things ended on Raw last week.

The January 12 Raw episode was headlined by Gunther defeating Styles after hitting a low blow and powerbomb. Gunther had tricked Styles into thinking the match was over by tapping out in a Calf Crusher behind the referee’s back. With Styles letting go of the hold, Gunther was able to pick up the victory soon after.

A promo segment then opened Raw today with Styles attempting to goad Gunther into a rematch by calling him scared. Gunther would not give in, saying there was no incentive for him to face Styles again. But he then came up with the idea for Styles to put his career on the line. He gave Styles the rest of the show to think about his answer. After talking it over with his wife, Styles revealed his decision.

“She said exactly what I was thinking — kick his ass,” Styles said as the matchup was made official.

Gunther has already retired Goldberg and John Cena and will now be looking to do the same to Styles. In their storyline, Styles has taken exception to how Gunther has acted so disrespectfully after defeating Cena.

The Royal Rumble is being held in Riyadh on January 31 and has a start time of 2 p.m. Eastern. Gunther will be pulling double duty on the show with him also confirmed as one of the men’s Rumble entrants.

Here is the updated card:

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against either Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, or Trick Williams (will be determined at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24)
  • Gunther vs. AJ Styles (Styles forced to retire if he loses)

Fight Game: Powerhouse Hobbs leaves AEW, our own WWE draft

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and Garrett Gonzales return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most interesting topics in pro wrestling.

We gave out our thumbs up and thumbs down for the week while talking about Powerhouse Hobbs and the two big main events on WWE Raw and AEW Dynamite.

Then, Keila Cash and Scott Young from The WRAP joined us for the first ever Fight Game WWE Draft.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Frankie Kazarian: AJ Styles doesn’t represent where TNA is going

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It sounds like there could be some issues between Frankie Kazarian and AJ Styles brewing in TNA.

Last week, it was announced that Styles is returning to TNA Wrestling for an appearance on Impact’s AMC premiere this Thursday night. Frankie Kazarian — the current TNA World Champion — reacted to that news during an interview on Busted Open Radio this morning. Kazarian’s answer seemed to include some storyline comments aimed at Styles, painting him as someone who represents TNA’s past while Kazarian represents both the past and present.

“Always great to see AJ. He is my friend, that’s not, you know, breaking news,” Kazarian said. “But to your point, what I was talking about earlier, I represent where we’ve been and where we’re going. AJ 100 percent represents where we have been and is a massive part of where TNA has been. He doesn’t represent where we’re going. I do. So as long as those lines are drawn and everybody understands that, we’re good. It will be good to see AJ and shake his hand and catch up.”

Kazarian is defending his TNA World Championship against Mike Santana in the main event of the AMC premiere episode. Styles’ role for the show has not been confirmed yet, past that he will be appearing live.

Recently, Kazarian has said he’d be excited to face Styles in TNA if WWE would allow that match to happen. Styles is retiring from the ring at some point in 2026, so there is not a ton of time left if he is going to have one more TNA match before his career ends.

Thursday’s Impact is being held in Garland, Texas and will be broadcast live on AMC and AMC+ from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. TNA announced today that Busted Open host Bully Ray will be returning as a special guest commentator for the Kazarian vs. Santana match.

AJ Styles returning for TNA Impact AMC premiere

Posted on by Joseph Currier

One of TNA’s greatest-ever legends will be in the building as the promotion kicks off a new era.

It was announced today that WWE star AJ Styles will make an appearance when TNA Impact premieres on AMC next Thursday. There are no further details on Styles’ role for the show — and it remains to be seen whether Styles will compete for TNA one last time prior to his retirement later this year.

“The premiere of Thursday Night iMPACT! on AMC will be PHENOMENAL,” TNA announced. ” For the first time since Slammiversary, AJ Styles makes his jaw-dropping return to TNA Wrestling as a new era begins LIVE January 15 from the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas.  What will ‘The Phenomenal One’ have in store as TNA Wrestling makes history once again?”

Styles, considered by most to be the greatest homegrown star in TNA history, returned at Slammiversary last summer for an appearance but did not wrestle on the show. He’s expressed doubt over whether another TNA match will happen for him, though TNA World Champion Frankie Kazarian would love for a match between them to take place. Styles last competed for the promotion in 2013.

There is no set date for when Styles, 48, will be retiring from the ring yet, past that his final match will happen at some point in 2026.

Ahead of this TNA appearance, Styles will face off against Gunther in Germany this coming Monday.

Impact’s AMC premiere is set to air live from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time on January 15. Taking place from Garland, Texas, the episode is set to feature a TNA World Championship match with Kazarian defending against Mike Santana.

The partnership between TNA and WWE is continuing into this new era for TNA with the promotion now having an increased platform on AMC and AMC+.

AJ Styles addresses his 2026 WWE retirement plans: ‘I achieved my goals’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

After nearly three decades in professional wrestling, AJ Styles, 48, has addressed the rumors about his retirement by the end of 2026, opening up about his mindset during a recent appearance on The Undertaker’s Six Feet Under podcast. While, WWE has not yet officially elaborated on the plans, Styles recently shared his thoughts.

When asked by The Undertaker about the rumors and speculations surrounding his retirement this year, Styles opened up in detail about the decision and labelled it as a celebration of one’s career.

“Here’s the thing about retirement, it is the opportunity to go out of your way not because of injury but standing on your own two feet, and the goal of working is to retire,” Styles said. “And to be able to do that, to me, is a celebration, so I hope that when it does happen, you guys celebrate with me that I achieved my goals.”

After working years in TNA, NJPW, and the indies, Styles made his WWE re-debut in WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble. And now after a decade and several dream matches at the Stamford-based promotion, he is finally set to hang up his boots.