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AJ Styles Explains Why He Kept His Gloves on Following Royal Rumble Loss

Does AJ Styles plan to wrestle again following his loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble?
Rick Ucchino|
AJ Styles
AJ Styles | WWE

Does AJ Styles plan to wrestle again?

That's the question that fans have been dying to learn the answer to following his loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble this past Saturday afternoon. Styles put his WWE career on the line against the Ring General in Saudi Arabia, and came up short in his bid to extend his 2026 retirement tour beyond the month of January.

After the match was over, the future Hall of Famer went to leave his gloves in the ring, but at the behest of the crowd, emphatically put them back on and hit his signature pose one final time.

That one gesture immediately set social media ablaze, as many fans were looking for any sign that there was a path forward for the Phenomenal One to continue his in-ring career, even if it was somewhere other than WWE.

Styles was a guest on Stephanie McMahon's 'What's Your Story' Podcast Thursday, and the former WWE CEO asked him directly, why did he put his gloves back on at the Royal Rumble?

"I don’t know," Styles said. "Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I think everybody’s allowed at least once to come out of retirement. I’m not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon... What if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once, you never know. So, there will be a time when the gloves never go back on. It may be now, but we’ll see."

AJ Styles is expected to garner interest from other promotions

AJ Styles
AJ Styles | WWE

It's not clear at this time when Styles' WWE contract officially expires, but it was believed that the short extension he signed in 2025 was due to run out this month.

While Styles is leaving the door open for a return match at some point down the line, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque is hopeful that AJ will make a transition into coaching and training the next crop of company superstars.

MORE: Tony Khan Praises AJ Styles Following WWE Retirement

Levesque views Styles in the same light as his good buddy Shawn Michaels and believes that coaching would be an excellent career path for him moving forward, but both AEW and NJPW are expected to make offers that could potentially delay the start of his next chapter in professional wrestling.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported this week that AEW, in particular, would love to bring Styles in for a brief run. He has great relationships with a number of people in the company, and is said to be in a position to do as he pleases, regardless of the amount of money that's thrown his way. 

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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