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Current WWE Champion Makes Surprising Appearance At Indie Wrestling Show

By Sridhar Krishnan • Published Nov 15, 2025 11:10 EST
AJ Styles entrance blur WWE logo

A WWE champion recently attended an independent wrestling show, sparking a buzz about future crossovers between the promotions.

AJ Styles is currently one-half of the tag team champions on RAW, alongside Dragon Lee.

On the October 20 taping of the red brand, the duo defeated The Judgement Day’s Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, capturing the title for the first time together.

Meanwhile, Styles has also announced that 2026 would be his final year in wrestling.

The 48-year-old recently turned up at Southern Honor Wrestling in North Georgia.

The promotion was celebrating its 7th Anniversary on November 14 and featured a cage match in which Alexander Lev won his first world title in the company. Lev honored Styles by finishing the match with a Styles Clash.

In its aftermath, The Phenomenal One made his way out, creating an everlasting moment for the fans in attendance.

A photo of his appearance soon began gaining traction online.

Styles is a Georgia native and has left a tremendous impact on the Southern wrestling scene. He represented TNA and NJPW before officially joining WWE in 2016.

WWE Not Letting AJ Styles Wrestle In TNA

TNA’s latest pay-per-view, Bound for Glory, saw a major title change, as Mike Santana defeated NXT’s Trick Williams to become a world champion for the first time.

Santana subsequently named AJ Styles as his dream opponent, claiming he wished to wrestle him in TNA for the world title.

While speaking on the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast, Styles addressed Santana’s request while stating that WWE may not want him wrestling in TNA.

I get it, man. I really do. I was hoping that this would happen, I really was but then I realized it probably never could as far as WWE letting me do that. I’ll tell you why. As soon as I open those gates for the main roster talent, now everyone is going to want to do it. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, if I’m being honest. I’d like to, don’t get me wrong. What a moment it was when I was able to go back, but I just don’t see that match — I don’t see any match happening as of right now.

Also read: AJ Styles Called Out By Top TNA Champion