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AJ Styles Making Huge TNA Return

By John Canton • Published Jan 09, 2026 20:20 EST
AJ Styles WWE

AJ Styles will be returning “home” to TNA in his final year as a full-time wrestler.

Future WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles is a former 2-time WWE Champion who has won numerous other titles in his WWE career over the last decade.

Before he was a WWE superstar, Styles was best known for his 13-year run in TNA, starting when the promotion launched in 2002. While in TNA, Styles was a 5-time World Champion, a 6-time X-Division Champion, and held numerous other titles.

There are many people who believe Styles is the greatest TNA wrestler of all time, and if he’s not at the very top, then he’s at least part of TNA’s Mount Rushmore.

At TNA Slammiversary in July 2025, AJ Styles returned to TNA for the first time in over a decade to congratulate Leon Slater on becoming the X-Division Champion. Styles teased a match, but nothing has been made official about it.

On Friday, TNA announced that AJ Styles will appear on the January 15th edition of Impact, which will see TNA debut on AMC. It should be one of the largest TV audiences in TNA in many years.

The premiere of Thursday Night iMPACT! on AMC will be PHENOMENAL.

For the first time since Slammiversary, AJ Styles makes his jaw-dropping return to TNA Wrestling as a new era begins LIVE January 15 from the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas.

What will “The Phenomenal One” have in store as TNA Wrestling makes history once again?

AJ Styles Will Retire As A Wrestler This Year

While speaking to WWE fans at the Crown Jewel Kickoff Show last October, the 48-year-old AJ Styles confirmed that he was going to retire as a full-time wrestler in 2026.

“I’m getting old folks. Listen if I could find the fountain of youth and take a couple of sips I’d wrestle for the rest of my life. But you know, I am getting older, the fear of embarrassing myself is getting closer.

And you know what? There comes a time In a man’s life when he has to take care of business but when business is done it’s time to take care of his family. I need to spend time with my family.

The whole idea with wrestling and having an amazing future in this business is to be able to retire one day and in 2026 I will retire.”

In addition to his TNA appearance, AJ Styles has a huge match on the January 12th edition of Monday Night Raw when he faces Gunther because Styles hasn’t liked how the powerful Australian has bragged since reitring John Cena last month.