AEW President Tony Khan is giving AJ Styles his flowers—and he didn’t hold back.
Following AJ Styles’ loss to GUNTHER at WWE Royal Rumble 2026, speculation has run wild about whether “The Phenomenal One” is truly finished with pro wrestling. While WWE sources including Triple H and Peter Rosenberg have indicated Styles is done competing, many fans aren’t convinced—especially after AJ refused to leave his gloves in the ring following his loss.
Adding fuel to the fire, Tony Khan appeared on YoJoshMartinez and spoke highly of Styles, calling him one of the best to ever do it:
“I think that AJ Styles is absolutely a fantastic wrestler. He’s one of my favorites and I think he’s had an amazing career all over the world.”
While Styles has never stepped foot in an AEW ring, Khan acknowledged his extensive history in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling—two companies with close ties to AEW.
“He’s never been in AEW before but he has wrestled in Ring of Honor and in ROH he had some fantastic matches, and also, as a fan, some of my favorite stuff was when AJ Styles was in New Japan Pro Wrestling.”
Khan singled out one specific match that stood out to him:
“His match with Minoru Suzuki is one of my personal favourites and he had a great alliance with the Bullet Club at that time…”
He closed his thoughts with one clear message:
“…He’s somebody who’s had a great career in so many different companies around the world and certainly I consider him to be one of the all-time greats.”
Though Khan didn’t tease any sort of AEW offer or comeback, the timing of his comments will undoubtedly fuel fan theories about a post-WWE chapter for Styles.
Do you think AJ Styles is really done—or could AEW be the next destination for The Phenomenal One? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.