AJ Styles comments on his relationship with CM Punk over the years.
The go-home edition of WWE RAW ahead of the 2026 Royal Rumble saw CM Punk set up an impromptu match with AJ Styles for the World Heavyweight Championship. The bout ended in a no contest due to a run-in from Finn Balor.
After the show went off the air, both men showed appreciation for each other. Punk referenced AJ’s Royal Rumble match with Gunther, noting it was a privilege to call AJ his friend and an honor to share the ring with him.
WWE cameras later caught up with The Phenomenal One backstage. The full conversation surfaced as part of AJ Styles’ farewell tour vlog, which was recently uploaded to social media. Styles praised Punk before addressing their falling out from years ago.
“What do you want to know? Was it an awesome match? Was it more of a privilege than it was awesome? Absolutely. To get in there not only with Punk, but the heavyweight champion… I don’t think he understands how much it means to me because we had some rough times, him and me, and it really, really bothered me. It really bothered me because we were so close at one point.
“Then you get caught up in your own bubbles and miscommunication and stuff like that. It sucks. We are living proof that you live and learn, forget, forgive, and move on. Life’s too short to be angry with each other over stupid things,” Styles said.
AJ Styles wishes fans understood one important thing about his relationship with CM Punk
Styles continued by saying that he and Punk may not see eye to eye on many things, but fans should realize that doesn’t affect their relationship.
“Punk and I don’t agree on a lot of things, but that doesn’t separate us from being friends and appreciating each other. It’s so stupid to live like that. I wish everybody could understand that we’re going to have differences. We’re not going to agree on everything, but we can agree to be civil.
“We both said things in the past we wish we could take back. So with that being said, I’m so thankful for the match tonight. And Canada, of all places, was amazing. I got a lot of ‘I love yous’ today, and if they mean them as much as I do when I say it, I’m so thankful that there’s so much love surrounding me in this company.”
WWE will celebrate AJ Styles’ career when RAW comes to the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The show will reportedly feature superstars from both RAW and SmackDown. Styles retired from in-ring action after losing to Gunther at the Royal Rumble.
ALSO READ: AJ Styles Originally Planned To Retire At WrestleMania, But ‘It Didn’t Feel Right’
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