AJ Styles Shocks the Wrestling World by Announcing That He’ll Retire in 2026

AJ Styles will retire from in-ring competition at some point in 2026. Moreover, he plans on staying with WWE after hanging up his boots for good.

AJ Styles Shocks the Wrestling World by Announcing That He’ll Retire in 2026

AJ Styles [via- WWE]

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As if the impending John Cena retirement from wrestling wasn’t already hitting the fans in the feels, one more veteran of the game has decided to call it quits within the next year. He’s none other than AJ Styles. The former NJPW star told Chris Van Vliet earlier this year that he’d hang up his boots before turning 50.

And if the exact timeline was vague, it’s not anymore, as ‘The Phenomenal One’ revealed in a recent interview with Tokyo Sports that he’ll definitely retire from in-ring competition in 2026. Styles said he doesn’t want to expose a different side of himself to his fans outside of what they know him for the best. Moreover, he wants to bow out before his body stops moving.

I’ll probably be at WrestleMania (next April in Las Vegas), but that’s not locked in. The details aren’t decided yet, but there’s no doubt I’ll retire sometime next year. I don’t want the fans to see me as anyone other than AJ Styles. That’s the biggest reason. Before my body stops working, I’ve decided to retire.

AJ Styles via Tokyo Sports

‘The Georgia Pitbull’ broached the possibility of competing at WrestleMania 42, which is on track to be his last as an active wrestler. However, the former WWE Champion mentioned that it’s still undecided whether he’d actually be working the Show of Shows in Las Vegas. For the unversed, Styles’ current WWE contract will be up in February 2026, which means he’d become a free agent just prior to Mania.

However, WWE is likely to leave no stone unturned in retaining Styles and keeping him from potentially joining its so-called competition—All Elite Wrestling. There was a section of the fans that firmly believed that ‘Mr. TNA’ might consider having a short run in AEW before riding off into the sunset, but that doesn’t seem likely anymore. Styles stated in the aforementioned interview that he’s probably going to continue working with WWE post-retirement and nurture the next generation of talent to be main roster ready.

AJ Styles to duke it out with John Cena in a long-awaited clash at Crown Jewel

Having just endured a setback after failing to put away Dominik Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship, AJ Styles is bracing up to oppose an old rival. After recent back-and-forth on social media, it has been made official that ‘The Face That Runs the Place’ will take on John Cena in their last match ever at Crown Jewel on October 11 in Perth.

AJ Styles and John Cena
AJ Styles and John Cena [via- WWE]

This came about after Cena started asking for it on X and even tagged Styles along with WWE CCO Triple H to bestow this match upon the fans. ‘The Game’ came up with an announcement of the same, and Cena eventually thanked him for making it happen. But was it actually a case of the Peacemaker star going out of his way by inciting the demand for Cena vs. Styles among fans in an unscripted move? The answer is no.

As per Dave Meltzer, this match was always planned for the Crown Jewel PLE, and it’s not like WWE swiftly retconned it into Cena’s remaining dates on his farewell tour. Moreover, it was confirmed by Fightful that the recent social media activity around this match could be directly linked to Cena not having any WWE appearances in the meantime to build the feud on TV.

‘The Franchise Player’ has promised that he’ll bring his best to the table for squaring off against ‘The Phenomenal One’ at Crown Jewel. Many fans expected their showdown for Clash in Paris given Styles’ overwhelming popularity in France.

However, it just wasn’t to be. But Cena did pay homage to his great rival while wrestling Logan Paul in the French capital by using the Styles Clash at one point in the matchup. In hindsight, it was subtly done to set a prelude for the inevitable Cena vs. Styles bout.

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