Is AJ Styles Heading To AEW Or TNA After WWE Retirement?

Gunther retired AJ Styles at WWR Royal Rumble 2026. However, fans aren’t convinced that that was The Phenomenal One’s final match. 

Styles had previously revealed that he would retire sometime in 2026, but no one thought it would be in January itself.

Following the match, Styles took off his gloves to keep them in the middle of the ring, but ended up wearing them once again before leaving the ring. This made everyone wonder if The Phenomenal One was only retiring from WWE or pro-wrestling altogether.

AJ Styles might be retiring from pro-wrestling and not just WWE

On Notsam Wrestling, Sam Roberts diagonized the situation. He claimed that fans are speculating about his retirement being only from WWE is because they still want to see him wrestle. However, he believes that The Phenomenal is retiring from pro-wrestling and not just WWE.

He will not go to AEW or TNA, especially since TNA is a part of WWE. If this was just his contract ending, WWE would look into renewing it rather than letting him go to another promotion.

I think people are speculating wildly on whether or not this is the end of AJ Styles, whether or not he’s going to be able to come back.
I think that part of that speculation is based around the fact that people don’t want him to be done, that people want him to still be wrestling. But the fact is, in my opinion, I think AJ’s done. I don’t think AJ’s going to wrestle again. I don’t think AJ’s going to wrestle in TNA. I don’t think AJ’s going to wrestle in AEW. I think AJ Styles has retired from wrestling. The AJ Styles versus Gunther match was presented very differently than, say Edge’s last match. Edge’s last match in the WWE just kind of snuck up on us. We didn’t even know it was going to be his last match and there it goes.

I don’t think AJ Styles is going to wrestle in TNA because TNA is a partner of WWE and why would that benefit WWE? Why would WWE take somebody like make him into a serious draw to the point that people desperately want to see him wrestle between now and all the way up to and including Wrestlemania and then put that on a different show.

Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.