AJ Styles WWE contract update
Some new information has emerged regarding AJ Styles’ retirement and his WWE contract status.
On January 31, Styles closed out his in-ring career with a loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble. It was known that Styles would be retiring at some point in 2026, but fans were surprised by his final match happening so soon into the year. PWInsider reports that Styles and WWE had been in talks for a new contract, but — with the Royal Rumble approaching and a new deal not locked in — the decision was made to go with the Styles vs. Gunther match.
The report notes that it was Styles’ idea to end his career at the Royal Rumble because it’s the same PLE where he made his WWE debut in 2016.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque has expressed hope that Styles will continue with WWE in a behind-the-scenes role. PWInsider notes that Styles and WWE are still discussing his future with the company, but there’s no word that a new contract has been signed. While Styles would be free to explore outside options if he becomes a free agent, PWInsider writes that they haven’t heard any rumblings about him wanting to get back into the ring in the near future.
Styles is not completely ruling out the idea of returning to the ring down the road. While appearing on Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast after the Rumble, he said he could potentially wrestle at least one more time if a scenario pops up like getting to work with one of his children.
“Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I know there’s — I think everybody’s allowed at least once coming out of retirement,” Styles said. “I’m not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon. I mean, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once. You never know. There’ll be a time when the gloves never go back on and it may be now, but we’ll see.”
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.