AJ Styles ‘wearing a couple of different hats’ in post-retirement WWE role
AJ Styles’ post-retirement WWE position is still fluid as he looks to settle into the right role for him.
Speaking with WWE Now during WrestleMania weekend, Styles said he’s “wearing a couple of different hats” as he settles into his new behind-the-scenes career after retirement. Styles is working on the recruiting end of things and helping out with WWE’s ID program for independent wrestlers. If he gets too busy with all that he’s doing, he’ll adjust and only focus on one thing.
“I’m wearing a couple of different hats right now and we’ll see which one sticks,” he said. “And things change quite often. So when I get too busy to do all these different hats that I’m trying to wear and I have to focus on one, I’ll let you know which one that is. But it is recruiting, it is working with WWE ID.
“That’s a big part of the things that I know a lot about, the independents. And I know there’s a lot of talent like me who didn’t have a lot of money. So if we can get them a little bit more experience, a little bit more cash in the pockets, they’re able to get that, it’ll be a big thing for them.”
Styles, who retired from the ring at Royal Rumble 2026, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last Friday. As much as he enjoyed wrestling, Styles told WWE Now that it’s nice to know that he doesn’t have to hurt himself for a living anymore. As he got older, wrestling started to hurt more and more. He does not miss competing in the ring and is happy to help shape the future of the industry in his new role.
This job on the recruitment side of things is a position that Styles landed on after sitting in on creative and production meetings, which did not end up being the correct fit.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.