AJ Styles is set to be one of John Cena’s final WWE career opponents when the pair renew their celebrated rivalry at Crown Jewel in Perth next month.
But it isn’t just Cena whose career hourglass is running low.
In a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, the 48-year-old Styles revealed his plans to retire next year.
The question now becomes: who will he face in his final WWE bout? Here are six potential farewell opponents for AJ Styles.
6. Jacob Fatu
It is a time-honored tradition in professional wrestling that when a star leaves a territory, they go out on their back, putting another performer over.
For the company, it’s always beneficial to have a departing big name lose to someone next up – a star on the rise looking to be pushed.
If AJ Styles does leave WWE next year – and perhaps retire – we could see him do just that against one of the company’s most touted performers: Jacob Fatu.
Fatu, an excellent in-ring worker in his own right, could deliver a banger with Styles on his very last night in WWE.
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5. Bron Breakker
On the September 26 edition of SmackDown, Paul Heyman once again touted that Bron Breakker would headline WrestleMania for years to come.
Breakker’s big push is clearly on the horizon.
This December, we could very well see him be the man to face – and defeat – John Cena in his retirement bout, before going on to do the same to AJ Styles next year.
To be known as the star who retired both Cena and Styles, two of pro-wrestling’s all-time greats, would catapult Breakker into the main event picture in WWE.
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4. Je’Von Evans
NXT’s Je’Von Evans made a surprise appearance on the September 26 edition of SmackDown, answering Sami Zayn’s open challenge for the US Title.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the super-talented high-flyer impressed, putting on a standout match with Zayn.
At just 21, Evans is clearly someone WWE has high hopes for, with obvious comparisons to be made between him and a young AJ Styles – both uber-spectacular aerial performers with breathtaking movesets.
Could we one day see Styles leave WWE by passing the “Phenomenal” torch to Evans?
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3. Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn and AJ Styles first crossed paths back in 2004, wrestling for the short-lived Canadian independent promotion Elite Wrestling Revolution.
Since then, the two have clashed in WWE in just about every match-type – singles bouts, tag matches, three-ways, four-ways, six-pack challenges, ladder matches, cage matches – and fought over both the US and Intercontinental Titles.
Both standout workers, they’ve consistently shown excellent chemistry whenever paired together.
With their long history and proven track record of delivering, Styles’ last night in WWE could fittingly come against Zayn.
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2. Seth Rollins
AJ Styles and Seth Rollins first shared a ring in 2006 – when Rollins, under his original ring name Tyler Black, faced Styles at NWA No Limits Wrestling in Muscatine Middle School, Iowa.
Their highest-profile singles bout came some 17 years later, a world apart from that first meeting, when they competed to become the inaugural winner of the current version of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions 2023 in Saudi Arabia.
Both are among the most talented wrestlers of their respective generations.
Could they meet one final time in what may be Styles’ last night with the company?
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1. Cody Rhodes
AJ Styles has had world title matches with both Dusty and Cody Rhodes.
Back in 2003, during the early days of TNA Wrestling, Styles defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against former champion Dusty Rhodes – Dusty’s final time challenging for a world title.
Some 21 years later, Styles faced Cody Rhodes at Backlash 2024 for the Undisputed WWE Championship in an excellent bout.
With Cody once again world champion, could Styles’ final shot at a world title – and his last night in the company – come against a Rhodes in what would be a truly poignant moment?
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