AJ Styles confirmed last year that he was planning to retire in 2026, and now it seems that his retirement could be coming sooner than later. During this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, AJ Styles agreed to put his career on the line at the Royal Rumble when he goes one on one with Gunther. Since then there’s been a lot of speculation regarding what the future holds for The Phenomenal One, but right now all signs seem to be pointing to Styles retiring at the Royal Rumble.
PWInsider is reporting that they were told months ago AJ Styles would likely finish up with WWE before WrestleMania 42, with the Royal Rumble being one of the choices.
At Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal, AJ Styles faced off against Shinsuke Nakamura for the last time and AJ picked up the victory. Shinsuke Nakamura recently shared a heartfelt post in his Instagram story where he reflected on his relationship with AJ and also noted that AJ told him last year he was planning to retire at the Royal Rumble when he posted the following:
“During last year’s Australia tour at a house show in Melbourne, AJ gave a speech after the match.
Listening to it, it was clear he was thanking the fans. But somehow, it also felt like he was hinting that retirement might not be that far away.
The tour continued to Japan, and before the shows there, I asked him something.
We were in a van on the way to the meet and greet.
I asked him,
“When are you going to retire?”
He answered,
“The Royal Rumble, I’ve already decided.”
The fact that Shinsuke Nakamura later deleted the post seemingly only added fuel to the fire regarding the speculation surrounding AJ’s retirement.
Gunther has been on a roll as of late as he retired both John Cena and Goldberg in 2025. On Saturday he has the chance to add another notable name to his resume, so it will be interesting to see if The Ring General is able to retire yet another big name.
Stay tuned for updates.