AJ Styles may have lost a career-threatening match to GUNTHER at the 2026 Royal Rumble, but retirement isn’t set in stone—and neither is his WWE contract.
According to PWInsider, Styles and WWE were engaged in discussions about a new contract leading into the Royal Rumble. However, with no agreement reached before the event, WWE went forward with the GUNTHER match as a possible sendoff. As of now, Styles’ future with the company remains in limbo.
While there’s still ongoing communication between the two sides, PWInsider added there’s been no indication that a new deal has been signed—and Styles would technically be free to field offers elsewhere if his current deal lapses.
Even then, don’t expect a sudden jump to another promotion. Sources told PWInsider there’s no internal rumblings suggesting Styles is planning an in-ring return anywhere else anytime soon.
This new report puts recent comments from Styles into perspective. On a recent episode of Stephanie McMahon’s podcast, the Phenomenal One explained why he left his gloves on in the ring after the Royal Rumble loss—hinting that he’s not fully ready to shut the door on his wrestling career. He also floated the idea of a potential dream moment down the road.
“I don’t know. Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I think everybody’s allowed at least once to come out of retirement. I’m not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon. What if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once? You never know. So, there’ll be a time when the gloves never go back on. It may be now, but we’ll see.”
At 48, Styles is already being talked about as one of WWE’s all-time greats—and whether or not he returns for one final run, his legacy is already locked in. But the fact that he might still have more left in the tank? That’s the part keeping fans watching closely.
Should WWE bring back AJ Styles for one final run—or has he already written the perfect ending to his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.