AJ Styles Gives Definitive Answer on Future After WWE Hall of Fame Announcement

Wrestling fans hoping for a few more epic AJ Styles matches this year appear to have just had their dreams dashed.

The Phenomenal One retired from in-ring competition following his loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble and now he's on his way to the WWE Hall of Fame. The Undertaker surprised Styles with that announcement in front of his family and friends in Atlanta, Georgia this past Monday night on Raw.

His induction during WrestleMania 42 weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada will take place weeks after rumors flared up that he could be making his way to AEW, or a number of other companies, to finish out his career.

You got us all, @undertaker! 😂 pic.twitter.com/F2Sk5p3yDX
— WWE (@WWE) February 25, 2026

Styles inadvertently added fuel to the fire when he refused to leave his gloves in the ring in Saudi Arabia, but as we found out this week, he was just waiting to do so until he was in front of his hometown fans.

Speaking on Wednesday night on the Talk N' Shop Podcast with his good buddies Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Styles threw cold water all over the idea of him heading elsewhere this year. Once again, AJ stated that he didn't want to overstay his welcome in the business.

“Everybody wants to say, ‘Oh! WWE put him [AJ Styles] in the Hall of Fame so that he couldn’t go to AEW.’ Guys, I am retired from wrestling in the ring. Like, that’s all this is. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions. I was ready.“

AJ Styles confirms he is staying with WWE

Styles' future in professional wrestling, in the ring or otherwise, has been a hot topic of conversation this month. His contract with the company was reportedly about to end, but AJ confirmed on Wednesday night that he will be sticking around in WWE to help train the next generation of WWE Superstars.

“I am still going to be working with WWE. That’s not going to change," Styles said. "I have these dreams of helping out young talent. If somebody is not ready once they get there, it’s my job to hopefully help them get to that point to where they can do it, and they are confident when they step into a WWE ring. Being able to help with that is a blessing.”

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque expressed his desire to have Styles stick around as a coach during the Royal Rumble post-show back in January. Levesque compared Styles to Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels, believing the two could walk very similar career paths.

Styles was spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, last Wednesday. Chances are he'll be working there a lot more often moving forward.