- AJ Styles’ storied WWE career came to a close on Saturday at the 2026 Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he fell to GUNTHER. Following the match, Styles was met with a massive ovation from the crowd.
As the moment set in, Styles appeared ready to remove his gloves and leave them in the ring, a traditional sign of retirement. Instead, he kept them on, raising his hands to acknowledge the fans one final time. After stepping through the ropes to exit, Styles paused, returned to the ring, and flashed the “Too Sweet” gesture.
According to a report from Pwinsider, the 2026 Royal Rumble had long been considered one of the potential endpoints for Styles, who had previously stated his intention to retire in 2026. The report also notes that Styles is not currently scheduled to appear on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW.
It was added that AEW would be willing to “bend over backwards” to sign Styles once he is contractually free from WWE, though whether he will compete again in the ring remains uncertain. As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, there are many people questioning whether he’ll really retire after his WWE contract expires in a few months.
- Credit: EWrestlingnews.com
- The status of AJ Styles on if he will go to a world tour before retiring for good, is uncertain.
- During a post-show conversation, Triple H discussed AJ Styles’ retirement from in-ring competition. Styles indicated he was “done” with wrestling but not necessarily with the company. Triple H mentioned that they had a lot of conversations about this, and Styles made it clear that he was at a point where he no longer wanted to continue in-ring activities. However, Triple H left the door open for Styles to remain involved with WWE in a coaching capacity, similar to Shawn Michaels’ role in NXT.
