“He Can’t Stay Another Second” – WWE Star Retiring After John Cena

To the uninitiated, AJ Styles is all set to retire from wrestling in 2026.

The WWE superstar confirmed his retirement plans during the pre-show of the Crown Jewel PLE in October.

Styles joined the Stamford-based company in 2016 when he entered the Royal Rumble as the #3 participant.

Styles is a TNA legend, a promotion he represented between 2002 and 2014. By the time he left, he was a multi-time World Heavyweight Champion and X-Division Champion.

The Phenomenal One was a 2-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling when WWE came knocking.

AJ Styles had previously earned a contract with the brand in 2002, but refused the offer due to the requirement to relocate.

John Cena Reveals Retirement Chat Details With WWE Rival

John Cena, who wrestled AJ Styles at Crown Jewel, shares a healthy relationship with his former rival. During an appearance on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight, he shared a conversation between them about Styles’ retirement.

AJ Styles, such a great dude. I got to talk to him a little bit while we were locked in our program.

I’m like ‘Man, AJ, there are a lot of people who really admire you out there. I know you’re thinking of calling it quits soon, do you think that there’s any possibility you would try to do something like this? I honestly think people would pay to see you one last time.

He’s literally tying his shoes, he turns to me and says, ‘Man, I’m 48,’ and as soon as the words left his mouth, he didn’t have to say anything else. It’s something about those late 40s, where he’s like ‘I’m already overstaying my physical welcome, they just don’t see it, because they don’t see what goes into prep, cooldown, recovery, I’m already riding that razor’s edge.’

You can’t tell, because he still looks great, still does great stuff, but he can’t stay another second, because he doesn’t want to put out a product that isn’t AJ Styles.

The same goes for me, like ‘Yeah, this is why I’m going, because I can still give you what you want, I don’t want to walk away when I can’t.’

Also read: What AJ Styles Is Really Planning For WWE Retirement