Shane McMahon Pays Tribute to AJ Styles Following Career-Ending Match at WWE Royal Rumble 2026

Former WWE Superstar and executive, Shane McMahon, paid tribute to AJ Styles following his career-ending loss to Gunther last night at the WWE Royal Rumble 2026. In a post on Instagram, McMahon had the highest of praise for Styles, calling him one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time.

Shane McMahon wrote, “AJ Styles will go down in history as one of the greatest in ring performers ever! Thank you for your friendship and giving it your absolute best to entertain us all every single time you stepped through the ropes. You set the bar for current and future talent, let’s see if they can reach it. Congratulations on a Phenomenal career. @ajstylesp1 @wwe”

At last night’s Royal Rumble, Styles passed out in Gunther’s sleeper hold. As a result of the stipulations, Styles is now forced to retire. Speaking during the post-show broadcast, WWE Chief Creative Officer Triple H commented on his conversations on what’s next for Styles, “We had a lot of conversations about it. AJ is one of those people that absolutely wants to give back and be a part of this business.” He continued, “I don’t wanna speak for him, but the conversations that he had with me, he made it very clear that he was just done with the in-ring.”

Styles and Shane McMahon previously faced off in a singles match at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, a match which Styles won. You can view McMahon’s Instgaram posts and comments on styles below:

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A post shared by Shane McMahon (@theshanemcmahon)