Gunther addresses his shocking WWE Royal Rumble victory over AJ Styles.
The Phenomenal One put his career on the line against The Ring General at the 2026 Royal Rumble. The match served as a rematch from their encounter several weeks earlier on WWE RAW, where Gunther picked up a controversial win.
Styles put up a strong fight but found himself brutalized by a series of vicious chops from Gunther during the closing stretch. AJ fired back with forearm strikes, but the bigger Austrian caught him in a chokehold.
Never one to back down, Styles targeted Gunther’s injured knee, forcing The Ring General to loosen his grip. The struggle continued for several minutes until Styles ultimately passed out to the submission hold.
After the match, a distraught Styles got to his feet and asked the referee about the decision. Upon being told he had lost, an emotional AJ tried to process the end of his in-ring career. Though he couldn’t bring himself to lay down his gloves in the moment, his WWE career has come to an end.
Gunther comments on retiring AJ Styles
Gunther later appeared on the post–Royal Rumble review panel. The former World Heavyweight Champion was met with a hostile reaction from the crowd, including NSFW chants directed at him.
When asked if he felt any sympathy for AJ Styles, Gunther responded bluntly.
“My career is not about them. My career is not about Goldberg, John Cena, or AJ Styles. It’s about myself. That’s all I care about.”
He continued: “I walked away with a lot of respect for myself. I’ll look at the man in the mirror tomorrow morning, the man who retired AJ Styles — me.
“I intended to make AJ Styles tap out. I intended to win the Royal Rumble. Those two goals have not been fully achieved. But I made AJ Styles pass out like a little b*itch.”
WrestleZone’s coverage of WWE Royal Rumble is available here.
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