Wrestling On FanNation

AJ Styles Reveals Original WWE Retirement Plans

AJ Styles WWE career ended last month at the Royal Rumble, but The Phenomenal One planned to retire long before that.
Matt Black|
AJ Styles
AJ Styles | Netflix

The WWE Universe got more time with AJ Styles than he originally planned.

Last month at the WWE Royal Rumble premium live event, AJ Styles WWE career ended at the hands of Gunther. However, Styles initially intended his time with WWE to end long before that.

AJ Styles
AJ Styles | WWE

The Phenomenal AJ Styles was featured on the latest WWE Vlog. Prior to his match with Gunther in Saudi Arabia, Styles reflected on his 10 years in the company before revealing that, had it not been for an untimely injury, he had originally intended his WWE retirement to take place at WrestleMania 41.

"Everybody wants to retire at WrestleMania, right? The biggest show of the year that we do," AJ Styles said. "And I was going to do exactly that. But I just came back from an injury that was supposed to retire me because of the injury; it retires most.

"But once I got healed up and was comfortable enough running and doing what I needed to do to be AJ Styles, 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. Hopefully, at the end of this match, I stand up on my own two feet. I throw up the P1 that's on my gloves one more time, and I walk."

Monday's episode of WWE Raw will be a tribute to AJ Styles

The February 23 episode of WWE Raw will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The event is basically in the backyard of AJ Styles' hometown of Gainesville, and the company will pay tribute to The Phenomenal One on Monday evening.

While it hasn't been revealed what to expect from Monday's tribute show, WWE is reportedly flying in members of the SmackDown roster for this important event. Styles mentioned on the Vlog that his match with CM Punk would likely be his last appearance on Raw unless something crazy were to happen. What a difference a few weeks make.

As for what's next for AJ Styles outside of WWE, that very much remains up in the air. It was reported that AJ's contract with the company was set to expire at some point this month. It's unclear whether the two sides have reached a new deal or if this will be his last appearance for the company.

Outside interest from other companies like TNA and All Elite Wrestling is seemingly still very high. If Styles wants to make 2026 a memorable last year in the business, there are plenty of dream matches out there for him to have before he officially calls it a career.

The Latest On WWE, AEW, & More

Update on Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker Ahead of WWE WrestleMania 42

Deonna Purrazzo Reveals Dream Scenario for AEW Return (Exclusive)

WWE Night of Champions 2026 Date and Location Reportedly Set

WWE SmackDown Preview (2/20/26): Start Time, Match Card, How to Watch & Live Stream

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Matt Black
MATT BLACK

Matt Black got involved in the wrestling media industry over two decades ago, covering WWE video games released by Acclaim, THQ, and 2K. He has been covering professional wrestling for multiple digital outlets since 2019. He is the former Senior Editor of WrestleZone and has extensive knowledge of the entire wrestling industry. In his spare time, Matt enjoys cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Lakers. He's also a diehard comic book movie fan and doesn't pick sides when it comes to the endless debates of Marvel versus DC.

Share on XFollow RAWFShowtime
Home/WWE