AJ Styles Makes Heartbreaking Health Announcement
AJ Styles officially retired from in-ring competition at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026. One of the main reasons he chose to step away from wrestling was his lingering neck issues.
Wrestling is a very physical business, and Styles spent nearly 30 years inside the ring taking nasty bumps. Such a long amount of time was bound to take a toll on his body.
AJ Styles was known for his high-flying action and risky maneuvers. One of his most popular moves from his wrestling arsenal was the Spiral Tap, which gained insane popularity during his time in TNA Wrestling.
AJ Styles’ Neck Mobility Has Decreased Significantly
On a recent episode of his Phenomenally Retro Podcast, AJ Styles was asked if he could still perform the Spiral Tap, to which he straight-up replied, no.
Styles cited that his body cannot perform the things that he could easily do during his prime. Therefore, he can’t do the Spiral Tap anymore, especially because of the lack of mobility in his neck:
Nope. Nope. Nope. I forgot about that. I didn’t forget about it. I just lost it. It’s when you’re in the air, there’s some muscle memory that has to take place. And that was one of those things.
It’s so different. I didn’t just twirl myself. I jumped and tried to, you know, go into like a swan position so my legs would get straight and then I turned.
It’s not my size, it’s my body not being able to do the things that it used to do. Like my neck I can’t… I can’t do the… I don’t know how to explain it but it’s not like my neck is falling off or anything like that. It’s not like I can’t but I can’t… I don’t have as much motion in my neck. So… I can’t do it. I can’t.
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