AJ Styles has wrestled his last match in WWE.
Gunther made good on his new “Career Killer” moniker, as he beat Styles at the 2026 Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Styles and Gunther have been feuding for weeks, with Gunther holding two wins in the feud. The second one, however, was controversial, as Styles made Gunther tap out on RAW, but it was out of the referee’s view. Gunther went on to win the match, which prompted Styles to ask for a rematch. Gunther agreed, only if Styles put his WWE career on the line.
Styles cut his forearm open early on in the match, as he cut it open after taking a backdrop onto the commentary table.
Styles gave his best effort, but couldn’t overcome Gunther’s onslaught in the end. Gunther took Styles down with a vicious clothesline, then put Styles out with a sleeperhold. The referee called for the bell after Styles was unable to lift his arm, giving Gunther the win.
The crowd went silent as the result set in. Styles came to and realized what had happened. He went to place his gloves on the mat (rather than leaving his boots in the ring), but hesitated.
The Saudi Arabian fans then roared to life after he put his gloves back on and hit his trademark pose on the turnbuckles before leaving.
AJ Styles’s WWE career began at the 2016 Royal Rumble, entering as the third entrant in the 30-man match. Perhaps fittingly enough, his WWE career is over nearly ten years to the day.
Despite his WWE career coming to an end, many fans have speculated that AJ Styles will still wrestle outside of WWE before formally retiring at the end of the year.
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