Add as a preferred source on Google AJ Styles didn’t plan to extend his career to WrestleMania 42. Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the Phenomenal One said he wanted to end his WWE run at the same event where it began.
“That wasn’t my pay-per-view or PLE. That’s not where I started. For me to be able to debut and then end it at the Royal Rumble, and I don’t care that it was in Saudi Arabia, it’s still the Royal Rumble. That meant something to me. I know there’s people who have WrestleMania as their big PLE, but mine was the Royal Rumble.”
The decision brought his WWE career full circle after ten years. Styles made his debut at the Royal Rumble on January 24, 2016, in Orlando and wrestled his final match at the event on January 31, 2026, in Riyadh, losing to Gunther. Styles explained that the finish was designed so that he would not quit, unlike John Cena in his farewell.
Styles also revealed he had considered retiring at WrestleMania 41. After returning from a Lisfranc foot injury, however, he realized it didn’t make sense to end his career right away and agreed to an extension with WWE. He added that he never wanted a farewell tour.
The choice of Gunther as his final opponent came from the storyline the company had built.
“That wasn’t up to me, it was up to the story. He had retired Goldberg, he had retired John Cena. Why not retire AJ Styles?”
Styles’ retirement ended his in-ring career but not his relationship with WWE. He has been working at the Performance Center and EVOLVE, where he has produced matches, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.