Triple H Believes AJ Styles is "Done" Wrestling, Talks Potential Future with WWE

AJ Styles' in-ring career with WWE is over, but Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque believes there is still a future for him in the company.

The former WWE Champion and future Hall of Famer lost to Gunther Saturday afternoon at the Royal Rumble, and per the stipulation of the match, Styles must now retire from WWE.

It was well known that AJ was heading into the final year of his career, but many had hoped his farewell run would stretch beyond the month of January. During an appearance on the Royal Rumble post-show, Levesque gave the impression that Styles was simply ready to hang it up.

“I don’t wanna speak for him, but the conversations that he had with me, he made it very clear that he was just done with the in-ring. There’s a point when you reach in your career where you say, I don’t want to do this anymore... Before you get hurt, before you get told you’re not allowed to do this anymore. I think he was there."

Levesque's comments come amid a sea of speculation that Styles may have a few more matches left in him, just not with WWE.

Both Will Ospreay and Mercedes Moné fanned the AEW rumor flames with separate social media posts on Saturday, but perhaps the next chapter in his pro wrestling career is working behind the scenes.

Triple H would love to see AJ Styles coach up the next generation of WWE Superstars

AJ Styles did refuse to leave his gloves in the ring on Saturday — feel free to interpret that however you please — but if he is done for real, Paul Levesque would love to see him go the route of Shawn Michaels.

"I’m hoping that he will contribute, because... he’s one of the most influential people in the business and one of the greatest minds in the business," Levesque said on Saturday. "I think when you see what Shawn Michaels is doing in NXT, I think that’s a path and a career for AJ Styles."

And the comparisons to the Heartbreak Kid didn't end there, because just like his long-running DX partner, Levesque believes that the career of AJ Styles will inspire an entire new generation of professional wrestlers.

"There are very few people that are universally loved, that are universally respected... Almost no one ever has a bad word to say about AJ Styles. It’s a testament to the human being that he is," Levesque said. "There will be a lot of people 10 years from now, that when you talk about what got you into this business, they will say AJ Styles."

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