AJ Styles’ call to retire from pro wrestling has happened pretty quickly, and the former WWE Champion has spelled out why now is the perfect time for him to walk away.
Wrestlers of Styles’ pedigree usually retire at WrestleMania, but he ended his career at the 2026 Royal Rumble — the event where he debuted in WWE a decade ago. The veteran star feels that his decision to retire at the event was to ensure that he doesn’t embarrass himself, which he believes he was close to doing.Â
“Why is now the right time to retire? I mean, now’s the right time to retire so I don’t make a fool outta myself, so I don’t embarrass myself. I’m on the verge of doing just that. Now’s the time. It’s not easy, mind you, but it’s the time,” he honestly admitted in his interview with “Raw Recap: WWE Now.”
Styles, in his final few months as a wrestler, held the tag team titles with Dragon Lee, had a WWE World Heavyweight Championship clash against CM Punk, and a memorable match against his former rival and now-retired star, John Cena.
Styles’ career came to an end after his loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, bringing to an end an iconic career that spanned over two decades. While some were surprised by the suddenness of his retirement, the former TNA Wrestling star had categorically said sometime last year that 2026 would be his final year as an in-ring star. In fact, he wanted to retire even earlier at last year’s WrestleMania, but stuck on for a few more months to hang up his boots at the Royal Rumble. This past week’s “Raw” ended with a tribute to Styles, where it was also announced by The Undertaker that his former rival would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame later this year.
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