Did AJ Styles just give wrestling fans a glimpse into his plans for 2026 following his match with Gunther this weekend at the WWE Royal Rumble?
2026 will be the last year of AJ Styles’ career. But will it end inside a WWE ring? Or will it actually end elsewhere? The Phenomenal One seemingly dropped some hints tonight on RAW.
During his promo that opened the show, Styles had the following to say:
“Yeah, Gunther claims he’s going to end my WWE career at the Royal Rumble. That is his plan. But I’m not going anywhere,” AJ Styles said. “Now I’ve made it clear. I didn’t hide it from you. I said it loud that 2026 will be the year that AJ Styles retires. Listen, I’m not talking about retirement because I’m trying to upset you.
“I’m saying it so that we can enjoy it together. John Cena showed me that it could take a year to say goodbye. 2025 was the year of John Cena; there is no reason why 2026 can’t be the year of AJ Styles. There are locker rooms of men all over the world that I’d love to wrestle one more time. I want to be World Champion one more time.”
At this point, Styles was interrupted by CM Punk, and a World Championship match was made between the two men for the main event of RAW. But surprisingly, that’s not what people are talking about.
AJ’s wording has proven intriguing to many. Referring to Gunther ending his WWE career instead of flat-out being retired. Styles also noted that there are men in locker rooms all around the world that he wants to wrestle one more time, which raised a lot of eyebrows as well.
Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated chimed in on the speculation, noting that he’s been saying for quite some time that he expects Styles to continue to compete this year after departing WWE, tweeting out:
“I’ve been saying on Patreon for more than a year that I believed AJ will work outside of WWE after he leaves, even if briefly,” Jon Alba said in a post.
It will be very interesting to see what happens next if Gunther does, in fact, end AJ Styles’ WWE career this weekend at the Royal Rumble.
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What do you make of AJ Styles’ comments? Do you think we’ll see him compete outside of WWE in 2026? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of these quotes, please credit WWE with a link to this article for the transcription.
