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WWE did a tribute show for AJ Styles this week on Monday Night Raw (February 23). Many of his former colleagues from TNA, as well as wrestlers from the current WWE main roster, were there. Towards the end of the show, Styles even got a little surprise from The Undertaker when the latter informed him of his WWE Hall of Fame induction this year.
AJ Styles retired last month during the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event against Gunther. Many fans were wondering why The Phenomenal One had chosen to retire at the January PLE instead of WrestleMania. Styles answered that question on Raw Recap.
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AJ Styles Says Retiring At Royal Rumble 2026 Was Poetic
Styles says that WrestleMania has “lost its luster” over the years. He also didn’t have much reason to stay till ‘Mania, considering he had just returned from a foot injury and didn’t want to spend months for his match against Gunther, especially when it didn’t have much story.
The former WWE Champion also says that the Royal Rumble is a special event for him, as he made his debut there 10 years ago in 2016.
“It was coming back from an injury to WrestleMania to a match that, to me, didn’t have much build. WrestleMania, I’m sorry to say, used to be the most prestigious PLE, but to me, it’s kind of lost its luster a little bit. As far as the Royal Rumble, that’s special to me because that’s where I made my debut. To be able to end where I started is poetic.” (transcription courtesy of Fightful.com)
AJ Styles made his wrestling debut almost 30 years ago. He made his name in several promotions such as Ring of Honor, TNA, and NJPW before eventually landing in WWE. He debuted during the Men’s Royal Rumble match in 2016 and soon grabbed the WWE Championship the next year.
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Over the course of his career, Styles had numerous great feuds with the likes of John Cena, Roman Reigns, The Undertaker, and more. He ended his career with numerous World Title reigns across promotions such as NJPW, TNA, and WWE. He’s said there’s a chance he could return to pro-wrestling someday, but that possibility is a long way off.
What are your thoughts on AJ Styles choosing to retire at Royal Rumble 2026?
Ishaan Sharma has been following wrestling ever since he was 8. That was over a decade ago. He loves to write about this pretend sport and has worked with online publications such as Sportskeeda and TheSportster, where he shared his insights about the wrestling business.