Tony Khan Praises AJ Styles Following WWE Retirement

Tony Khan has nothing but positive things to say about AJ Styles and his contributions to professional wrestling following his WWE retirement.

AJ Styles has promised 2026 would be his last year as an active competitor in professional wrestling. His WWE run came to an unexpected end very early on at the Royal Rumble after losing to "The Career Killer" Gunther.

Despite that, fans are still hopeful that Styles will continue his retirement tour through the rest of the year. But could some of those matches take place in AEW?

All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan was a recent guest on the Battleground Podcast. When asked what AJ Styles has meant to the world of professional wrestling, Khan had high praise for the former TNA and WWE World Champion, calling him one of the greatest wrestlers ever.

"Oh, I'm a huge fan of AJ Styles," Khan declared. "I think he's incredible. He's had great matches all over the world. We were just talking about ROH. He did some incredible things in ROH that are a part of our library and also with our partners at New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was involved in some of the all-time greatest matches.

"His match with Minoru Suzuki is one of my all-time favorites, and he's had great matches with multiple companies all over the world. He's never been in AEW before, but he's certainly been with a lot of the promotions we work with. And of course, in ROH, he has a great history, and for me, he's one of my all-time favorites. Just personally, in my opinion, I think he's one of the greatest wrestlers ever, so I have only the highest praise for AJ Styles."

Will AJ Styles become "All Elite"?

Tony Khan's high praise of The Phenomenal One certainly lends credence to a recent report from Fightful Select regarding Styles.

Sapp reported that as of Tuesday, he could not confirm if AEW has reached out to Styles to make him an offer. However, the company would love to bring Styles in if he's interested and is expected to make him an offer when they are able to do so.

MORE: 5 Dream Matches for AJ Styles Outside of WWE

The sheer amount of dream matches awaiting Styles in AEW is plentiful. From Kenny Omega to Will Ospreay, AEW could be the home of many dream matches this year if the former WWE Superstar decides he wants to extend his career.

As of this writing, AJ Styles' current contract status with WWE remains unclear.

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