Original Plans For AJ Styles’ WWE Retirement Revealed

AJ Styles retired from WWE last month at the Royal Rumble premium live event. However, that was not the original plan.

A few months ago, The Phenomenal One announced that he would retire from in-ring competition in 2026. Following Gunther’s victory over John Cena, Styles entered a feud with The Ring General.

On January 12, Styles and Gunther clashed on RAW. Although the former leader of The O.C. forced the former World Heavyweight Champion to tap out, the referee did not see it. Hence, the match ended in Gunther’s victory.

Styles later challenged Gunther to a rematch. The latter accepted only on the condition that the 48-year-old put his career on the line at Royal Rumble. Despite his efforts, The Phenomenal One suffered another defeat against The Ring General to end his WWE career.

AJ Styles Was Planning To Retire At WWE WrestleMania

In a recently dropped “AJ Styles’ farewell tour: WWE Vlog,” the wrestling legend discussed the original plans for his retirement, disclosing that he initially wanted to end his career at WrestleMania.

Nevertheless, Styles changed his mind after returning from a career-ending injury, preferring to retire at the same premium live event he debuted a decade earlier.

You know, everybody wants to retire at WrestleMania, right? It’s the biggest show of the year that we do. And I was going to do exactly that. But I had just come back from an injury that was supposed to retire me — it retires most [people]. Once I got healed up and felt comfortable enough running and doing what I needed to do to be AJ Styles again, it just didn’t feel right to come back for two months just to retire. That didn’t seem right. And I thought, what better way to leave than on the pay-per-view where you debuted? [H/T: Ringside News]

Also read: Truth About AJ Styles & Ex-WWE Diva Rumor Finally Revealed

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