Long time rivals AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura wrestled for what could be the final time at last night’s Saturday Night’s Main Event and following the bout, Nakamura took to his Instagram Stories and posted a lengthy tribute about Styles.
In the since deleted story, Nakamura may have inadvertently spoiled the result of the Royal Rumble match between Styles and Gunther which carries the stipulation that a Styles loss would result in his retirement. In the story, Nakamura relays an interaction between the two where Styles reveals that he plans to retire at the Royal Rumble.
“During last year’s Australia tour, at a house show in Melbourne, AJ gave a speech after the match. Listening to it, it was clear he was thanking the fans. But somehow, it also felt like he was hinting that retirement might not be that far away. The tour continued to Japan, and before the shows there, I asked him something. We were in a van on the way to the meet and greet. I asked him, ‘When are you going to retire’ He answered, ‘The Royal Rumble. I’ve already decided.'”