Backstage Note on AJ Styles’ WWE Future

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is set to feature a major match, as AJ Styles will put his career on the line against Gunther.

With John Cena having just retired, fans are not ready for another veteran to hang up his boots and walk into the sunset, and recent events, such as AJ battling longtime rival Shinsuke Nakamura at Saturday Night’s Main Event and then challenging CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship in an impromptu match on this week’s RAW, have heightened their fears.

Amid this, WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select is reporting that sources backstage are “split” on AJ Styles’ future in WWE.

AJ announced at last year’s Crown Jewel Premium Live Event that he would hang up his boots sometime in 2026. However, he did not reveal the exact date or his potential plans to have a retirement tour. With WWE heavily pushing Gunther as the “Career Killer,” fans aren’t optimistic about The Phenomenal One’s chances, especially after Shinsuke Nakamura revealed in a now-deleted post on social media about AJ’s plans to retire at the Royal Rumble.

AJ famously made his WWE debut at the same event in 2016. A decade on, will he finish his career at the same PLE? We’ll find out tomorrow.