AJ Styles has addressed the speculation surrounding his WWE Hall of Fame induction and rumors linking him to AEW.
Styles delivered an emotional farewell speech to the fans on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW. The moment felt special for everyone in attendance, as the crowd reacted strongly throughout the segment. At the end of the segment, he received a major surprise.
The Undertaker came to the ring and announced that Styles would be inducted into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026. With that announcement, AJ Styles officially joined Stephanie McMahon in the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
He secured his place as one of the confirmed inductees. Reports later revealed that Styles did not know about the announcement in advance. WWE kept the induction a complete surprise for him. WWE kept it a complete surprise for the former WWE Champion.
Many began debating the reason behind the timing. Fans believed that WWE placed Styles in this year’s Hall of Fame class on purpose to stop him from potentially joining AEW. Now, Styles has personally responded to the rumors that WWE put him in the Hall of Fame to stop him from going to AEW.
AJ Styles responds to AEW speculation amid WWE Hall of Fame induction
The Phenomenal One put all the speculation to rest while speaking to the Good Brothers and Frankie Kazarian on the Talk N Shop podcast. Styles noted that he has no plans of going to AEW because he is retired for good.
“Let me give you something to talk about. So, everybody wants to say, ‘Oh, WWE put him in the Hall of Fame so they couldn’t go to AEW.’ Guys, I’m retired from wrestling,” AJ Styles reaffirmed. “Like, that’s all this is. I make my own choices. I was ready.”
“There’s a time when, you know, I’ve said this before, I think Nattie put it in her book, where she talks about staying at the table too long. Like, you gotta beat the house. I beat the house, man, because I was on the verge of staying at the table too long,” AJ Styles said.
He continued, “Guys, I’m retired from wrestling in the ring. That’s all this is. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions. I was ready. There’s a time—I think Nattie put in her book where she talks about staying at the table too long. Like, you’ve got to beat the house. I beat the house, man, because I was on the verge of staying at the table too long.”
Styles made it clear that he chose to retire on his own and that the Hall of Fame induction has nothing to do with AEW.
Read More: Former WWE Star Says AJ Styles Had To Retire From WWE Due To Injury Issues
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