Huge WWE Star Announces Plan To Retire In 2026
A former WWE Champion has laid out their retirement plan.
At Crown Jewel in Australia, AJ Styles will face John Cena one final time as Cena inches ever closer to retirement.
The announcement came after Cena posted multiple messages on social media aimed at Triple H, saying that he wanted to wrestle Styles one more time before he retires. For his part, Styles said he was more than ready to face Cena if and when the match was made.
However, it’s now been confirmed that Cena isn’t the only one with a retirement plan.
AJ Styles Announces WWE Retirement Plan
Speaking in a new interview with Tokyo Sports ahead of WWE’s two October dates in Japan, Styles said he was especially excited as the visit will likely be his last as a wrestler. He added that he’s planning to appear at WrestleMania 42, but will definitely retire before the end of 2026.
The comments come after it was recently reported that AJ Styles’ contract ends in February 2026, hinting that he won’t be wrestling much longer. Even if a fresh short-term extension is eventually agreed.
“I’m really excited. This will probably be my last fight in Japan, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m planning to retire soon, so I may not come back to Japan before I retire.
I will probably appear at WrestleMania (April next year in Las Vegas, USA), but it’s not confirmed yet. The details are still undecided, but I will definitely retire within the next year.
I don’t want to show my fans a side of me that isn’t AJ Styles. That’s the main reason. I’ve decided to retire before my body can no longer move.
When asked about his retirement plans, Styles said he hopes to keep working for WWE.
“I haven’t decided yet, but I think I’ll probably work for WWE. It might be good to train young wrestlers to be worthy of being on the main roster, but I don’t know yet.”
In a seperate interview with the same publication, Finn Balor expressed his desire for one final match with NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi. The NJPW President is set to bring down the curtain on his illustrious career at Wrestle Kingdom in January.
Balor last shared the ring with Tanahashi back on Day 7 of the 2014 NJPW New Japan Cup while wrestling as Prince Devitt as part of the Bullet Club. Just one month after that match in March, it was announced that Balor would be leaving NJPW, and he signed with WWE in May.