Shane McMahon Breaks Silence Over the End of AJ Styles WWE Career

AJ Styles' WWE career ended over the weekend at the Royal Rumble, and many names are stepping forward to celebrate his legacy.

Saturday afternoon at Royal Rumble, Styles competed in his final WWE match, losing to Gunther after passing out in a rear naked choke. This would mark the end of a 10-year career for Styles in WWE that began at the Royal Rumble in 2016.

Throughout his tenure with WWE, Styles competed at WrestleMania nine times. While many fans expected to see The Phenomenal One perform at the Showcase of the Immortals one more time, it wasn't meant to be.

One of Styles' first WrestleMania opponents was Shane McMahon. The two faced off at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. The match would see Styles pick up the win and secure his first-ever WrestleMania victory.

Now with AJ's WWE career coming to a close, McMahon took to Instagram to pay tribute to his WrestleMania opponent, posing the following heartfelt message.

"AJ Styles will go down in history as one of the greatest in ring performers ever! Thank you for your friendship and giving it your absolute best to entertain us all every single time you stepped through the ropes. You set the bar for current and future talent, let’s see if they can reach it. Congratulations on a Phenomenal career. @ajstylesp1 @wwe," Shane McMahon said in a post.

Nattie pays tribute to AJ Styles

Plenty of WWE Superstars have paid tribute to AJ Styles over the past 24 hours. But perhaps no one had a more profound statement than Nattie.

Both performers entered WWE with much to prove for very different reasons. Styles entered in 2016, looking to continue to build on the legacy that he created years prior in TNA Wrestling and New Japan. Nattie had the weight of being the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and her uncle Bret Hart on her shoulders. Both have firmly cemented their place in the WWE Hall of Fame.

With AJ Styles ending things with WWE on his terms, Nattie looks to reinvent herself in an era that has become incredibly difficult to do. Nattie took to social media to praise Styles, declaring that he ended things on his terms and effectively "beat the house."

"Congratulations @AJStylesOrg on such a PHENOMENAL career. You did what very few people in sports can do. You really won. You walked away with your head held high and with an unmatched legacy. Honored to call you a friend and an inspiration. 'YOU BEAT THE HOUSE,'" Nattie said a post.

Congratulations @AJStylesOrg on such a PHENOMENAL career. You did what very few people in sports can do.
You really won.
You walked away with your head held high and with an unmatched legacy. Honored to call you a friend and an inspiration.
“YOU BEAT THE HOUSE.” pic.twitter.com/dEHiiXcsut
— THE LOWKEY LEGEND (@NatbyNature) February 1, 2026

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