According to Triple H, AJ Styles is gearing up to conclude his iconic wrestling career. Before stepping away from the ring, Styles is deliberately choosing the opponents he wants to face in his final matches.
In a conversation with ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike, Paul “Triple H” Levesque confirmed that 2026 will mark AJ Styles’ last year as an active wrestler. However, Styles isn’t retiring quietly—he’s meticulously planning his farewell tour behind the scenes each week. Triple H shared, “He has a lot of goals and a lot of people. I know he works with me every week to make a list of people he wants to compete against and people he wants to see in the ring before he retires.”
One of the highlights of this retirement run will be a major collision at the 2026 Royal Rumble, where Styles is set to face Gunther in a career-threatening match. The motivation behind this rivalry stems from Gunther’s public criticism of John Cena—a man Styles deeply respects as a symbol of resilience. Although Gunther recently forced Cena out after a match, this did not sit well with AJ Styles.
While Triple H hopes Styles will continue to wrestle for a while longer, he confirmed that AJ is firmly in control of how his career will end, carefully selecting each opponent along the way.
Rather than just counting down the days, AJ Styles is shaping his final journey on his own terms—starting with Gunther and progressing through a list of personally meaningful matchups.
Fan Take: This announcement electrifies WWE fans as it promises a thoughtfully curated farewell tour full of high-stakes matches and emotional payoffs. AJ Styles’ retirement plans highlight the importance of legacy and storytelling in wrestling, ensuring his exit is as memorable as his storied career.
