AJ Styles Concludes WWE Career After Royal Rumble 2026 Loss

AJ Styles' Retirement from In-Ring Competition

AJ Styles officially retired from in-ring competition following his defeat to Gunther at the Royal Rumble 2026. The Phenomenal One had staked his career against the Ring General in a high-stakes match at the year's first premium live event. With this loss, Styles was compelled to step away from WWE, leaving fans in disbelief and speculating about a potential move to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to Wrestlemania 42, Styles was honored with an induction into the Hall of Fame. Despite numerous inquiries, he has consistently stated that he will not return to the ring, even for a highly anticipated match against Kenny Omega, who is now with AEW. Styles expressed his regret about never having faced Omega, acknowledging that time and circumstances prevented it from happening. "I would have liked to have had a match with him [Omega] anywhere, but it didn't happen. We just kind of ran out of time. I got too old, and we were in different places. It just wasn't meant to be and it's never going to happen," he remarked on the Phenomenally Retro podcast.

AJ Styles' Journey in WWE

Styles made a stunning entrance into WWE during the Royal Rumble in 2016, making a memorable debut when he entered the ring alongside Roman Reigns. His first Wrestlemania appearance was against Chris Jericho. Over his career, Styles became a two-time WWE Champion, first capturing the title from Dean Ambrose at Backlash 2016 and holding it until he lost to John Cena at the Royal Rumble 2017. Cena later lost the title to Bray Wyatt at the Elimination Chamber. Styles reclaimed the WWE Championship on Smackdown before Survivor Series 2017, where he faced Brock Lesnar in a champion vs champion match. He entered Wrestlemania 34 as the reigning champion, successfully defending his title against Shinsuke Nakamura. However, he lost the championship to Daniel Bryan on Smackdown before Survivor Series 2018. Styles competed for world titles again but did not secure them. He is a three-time United States Champion and once held the Intercontinental Championship. Styles also won his first tag team title with Omos at Wrestlemania 37, with Omos making his in-ring debut at the event. Four years later, he captured his second tag team championship alongside Dragon Lee in 2025. Styles had a notable rivalry with Cena, culminating in their final one-on-one match at Crown Jewel 2025 in Australia. Currently, Styles serves WWE as a talent scout, focusing on identifying and nurturing young talent. Triple H commented on Styles' new role, stating, "What I really like is getting to these young kids and spotting talent and then trying to help fan the flames of the little spark that’s there and try to make them into something more, the developmental side of it."