As the moment set in, Styles appeared ready to remove his gloves and leave them in the ring, a traditional sign of retirement. Instead, he kept them on, raising his hands to acknowledge the fans one final time. After stepping through the ropes to exit, Styles paused, returned to the ring, and flashed the “Too Sweet” gesture.
According to a report from Pwinsider, the 2026 Royal Rumble had long been considered one of the potential endpoints for Styles, who had previously stated his intention to retire in 2026. The report also notes that Styles is not currently scheduled to appear on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW.
It was added that AEW would be willing to “bend over backwards” to sign Styles once he is contractually free from WWE, though whether he will compete again in the ring remains uncertain. As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, there are many people questioning whether he’ll really retire after his WWE contract expires in a few months.