CM Punk Sends Heartfelt Message to AJ Styles After WWE Raw Goes Off Air

AJ Styles could be just days away from his WWE career coming to an end.

The future Hall of Famer will face Gunther this Saturday afternoon at the Royal Rumble, and if he loses, he will be forced to retire from WWE.

The mere possibility of that taking place brought World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk down to the ring Monday night on WWE Raw to interrupt what could have been Styles' farewell promo. The Best in the World said it would be a shame if CM Punk and AJ Styles never wrestled one-on-one in WWE, and he offered his old rival a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

A relentless attack by @FinnBalor on @CMPunk! 😨 pic.twitter.com/W7Z7AAEZUQ
— WWE (@WWE) January 27, 2026

Punk and Styles put together a spectacular main event match, before it was ruined by Finn Balor. Perhaps motivated by being left out of the Men's Royal Rumble Match this Saturday, The PrinXe decided to send a message to the World Heavyweight Champion that his pursuit of Punk's title is not over.

Balor stood tall as Monday night's broadcast came to an end on Netflix, but after the cameras were shut off, the focus shifted back to Punk and Styles.

The Phenomenal One grabbed a microphone and expressed his gratitude to the people of Toronto, before Punk took the opportunity to give AJ his flowers.

full punk and aj speech for yall lol it’s long! pic.twitter.com/p1KUr6J0b3
— lex 🧸 (@harryxgoldens) January 27, 2026

“Look I don’t know what happens in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia when AJ Styles takes on Gunther. I just know that I’m going to be glued to the monitor, watching just like every one of you," Punk said. "I don’t care who knows it publicly, it has been a privilege to know you. It’s a privilege to call you a friend, it’s an honor to share the ring with you. I speak as a fan, I hope Saturday’s not it, but if it is... man, what a hell of a career. I love you brother, thank you.”

The belief is that Styles will be retiring this weekend. Shinsuke Nakamura revealed that to be AJ's plan in a now-deleted Instagram post, just a few hours after they faced each other at Saturday Night's Main Event. This is pro wrestling, however, and nothing is a thing until it's a thing.