AJ Styles On WWE Royal Rumble Retirement: “WrestleMania Lost Its Luster”
AJ Styles officially retired at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
Styles had put his career on the line against Gunther in a high-stakes match at the Royal Rumble, and after losing, he was forced to retire from in-ring competition.
On the February 23 edition of Monday Night Raw, WWE held a special career tribute segment honoring AJ Styles’ legendary run. Superstars from both Raw and SmackDown were present to pay their respects and bid farewell to The Phenomenal One.
The segment also featured a special appearance by The Undertaker, who announced that Styles will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.
AJ Styles Wanted A “Poetic” End For His WWE Career
Following the episode of Raw, Styles appeared on the Raw Recap podcast, where he was asked why he chose to retire at the Royal Rumble rather than at WWE’s biggest annual event, WrestleMania.
Styles explained that, in his view, WrestleMania has “lost its luster a little bit” over the years. He also noted that the Royal Rumble held special significance for him, as it marked ten years since he made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble in 2016.
“It was coming back from an injury to WrestleMania to a match that, to me, didn’t have much build. WrestleMania, I’m sorry to say, used to be the most prestigious PLE, but to me, it’s kind of lost its luster a little bit. As far as the Royal Rumble, that’s special to me because that’s where I made my debut. To be able to end where I started is poetic,” Styles said.
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