AJ Styles Signs New WWE Deal After In-Ring Retirement

Exciting news for AJ Styles fans as he will still be involved with WWE post-retirement from in-ring action.

AJ Styles ended his decade-long career in WWE and a wrestling career that began in 1998 on January 31st, 2026, at the Royal Rumble PLE.

The Phenomenal One lost his bout to Gunther after passing out from the Ring General’s sleeperhold.

This past week on Raw, WWE paid tribute to Styles’ illustrious career, after which the man himself came out to give a heartfelt speech of thanks. Towards the end, the entire locker room came out to pay their respects before WWE Legend The Undertaker rode his trademark motorcycle to the ring to announce that Styles was the latest inductee into the WWE Hallof Fame Class of 2026.

Styles has also recently stated that his in-ring career is indeed over, but now a new report says that he has signed a new deal with the Stamford-based promotion that will see him in a different role.

AJ Styles Will Be Mentoring Young Stars In Developmental

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the new deal focuses on Styles’ ability to mentor budding talent. It states that Styles will likely serve as a coach or talent scout at the WWE Performance Center. This move comes soon after CCO Triple H’s comments on Styles’ impact potentially being similar to that of Shawn Michaels in NXT.

In a recent appearance on the Talk N Shop podcast, The Phenomenal One addressed his future and talked about where he was at the moment and his passion for the wrestling business.

I am still going to be working with WWE. That’s not going to change. I have these dreams of helping out young talent. If somebody is not ready once they get there, it’s my job to hopefully help them get to that point to where they can do it, and they are confident when they step into a WWE ring. Being able to help with that is a blessing.

In the sme podcast, AJ Styles confirmed that he has indeed retired from the ring and would not be joining AEW or any other promotion as per internet scuttlebutt.

h/t: wrestlingnews.co

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