AJ Styles Makes Controversial WrestleMania Claim After WWE Retirement

AJ Styles believes that WrestleMania has lost a bit of its luster. The Phenomenal One decided to have his last match at the Royal Rumble instead.

AJ Styles Makes Controversial WrestleMania Claim After WWE Retirement

AJ Styles [via- WWE]

In Short
  • AJ Styles announced his retirement from in-ring competition during Raw, stating his last match was at the Royal Rumble.
  • He expressed disappointment in WrestleMania's recent lack of prestige compared to its past significance.
  • Styles was surprised by The Undertaker's announcement of his WWE Hall of Fame induction during the Raw segment.

On this week’s Raw, AJ Styles bid an emotional farewell to his in-ring career. If he stays true to his word, which does seem inevitable, his last match came at the Royal Rumble, which still feels baffling to those that were hoping for the 48-year-old to retire at WrestleMania only. Styles explained why he opted against it while joining the Raw Recap with Sam Roberts and Megan Morant.

‘The Phenomenal One’ mentioned that he returned from a foot injury in the men’s Royal Rumble match last year to segue into a WrestleMania program that didn’t meet his expectations as far as its buildup was concerned. AJ Styles was engaged in a feud with Logan Paul and even lost to him at the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All’.

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.

AJ Styles via Raw Recap

‘The Georgia Pitbull’ then claimed that WrestleMania used to be the most prestigious PLE but has lost a bit of its luster of late. Styles iterated that the Royal Rumble was special to him because of his debut at the said premium live event. “To be able to end where I started is poetic,” said the Gainesville-born wrestling icon.

As seen on Raw, ‘The Face That Runs the Place’ left his jacket and gloves in the middle of the ring, something that he pulled back on after losing to Gunther at the Royal Rumble. The former WWE Champion revealed that he wanted to do it in his hometown. A plethora of TNA and NJPW originals were brought in for Raw to add to the occasion.

The likes of Frankie Kazarian, Monster Abyss, The Good Brothers, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, etc., were present for the tribute to AJ Styles. After the show went off air, the entire roster swarmed ‘The Phenomenal One’ in the ring. Also, as can be seen above, Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes lifted the outgoing legend on their shoulders, with CM Punk sporting a huge smile looking up to Styles.

Triple H issues his comments on AJ Styles’ WWE HOF induction

The most notable thing coming out of the AJ Styles segment on Raw was The Undertaker informing the former Bullet Club leader about his WWE Hall of Fame induction this year. It appeared to have truly caught Styles off guard. And guess what? That’s exactly what happened. As per Bryan Alvarez of WON, WWE didn’t tell AJ that Taker would announce his HOF induction during the closing moments.

Triple H on AJ Styles' WWE HOF induction
Triple H on AJ Styles’ WWE HOF induction [via- WWE]

In essence, the look on Styles’ face was as real as it could’ve gotten. WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque had some kind words to say about ‘The Phenomenal One’. ‘The Game’ affirmed that Styles lived up to his full potential in addition to being adored by everyone in this business, which rarely ever happens.

Hunter said AJ’s passion for pro wrestling was unselfish and undying while also hailing the 48-year-old as a locker room leader. At last, ‘The Cerebral Assassin’ welcomed ‘Mr. TNA’ to the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026. Speaking of which, a report from BodySlam suggests that WWE would like for John Cena to induct his great rival into the HOF. It remains to be seen if that does end up being the case.

In his aforementioned appearance on Raw Recap, the former IWGP Champion was asked what he made out of his retirement tour, which never got labeled as such. The former OC leader talked fondly about the recent tag team stint he had with Dragon Lee and the matches they were able to have with The New Day. Styles also singled out the incredible one-on-one showdowns with John Cena, Shinsuke Nakamura, CM Punk, and Gunther, all of which he had in a span of less than 4 months.

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