A major spoiler has potentially emerged for the result of AJ Styles vs GUNTHER at Royal Rumble 2026, which will see Styles put his career on the line.
Following GUNTHER stating on the January 19 Raw episode that he’d only face AJ Styles again if Styles put his career on the line, Styles accepted these conditions later on in the show.
AJ Styles and GUNTHER will face off at Royal Rumble on January 31, and if Styles loses, his wrestling career will be over.
Amid speculation about Styles’ future, another WWE star has potentially revealed plans for the result of this match.
With AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura wrestling on the January 24 Saturday Night’s Main Event special, Nakamura has publicly shared a diary entry he wrote the night before this match.
In the diary entry – which Nakamura shared on his Instagram Story – Nakamura stated that AJ Styles told him during the October 2025 WWE tour in Japan that he had plans to retire at Royal Rumble.
Shinsuke Nakamura shared the following:
“During last year’s Australia tour, at a house show in Melbourne, AJ gave a speech after the match. Listening to it, it was clear he was thanking the fans. But somehow, it felt like he was hinting that retirement might not be that far away.
The tour continued to Japan, and before the shows there, I asked him something. We were in a van on the way to the meet and greet.
I asked him, “When are you going to retire?”
He answered, “The Royal Rumble, I’ve already decided.”
Me… !!!
Whether I actually said it out loud or just thought it for a split second, I’m not sure. But I remember it clearly.
“Before you retire, I want to wrestle you one more time.
AJ nodded.”
Nakamura went on to reflect on their first singles match at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016, and the rest of their history in WWE.
You can view Shinsuke Nakamura’s full diary entry below.
For the latest AJ Styles updates and news stories ahead of Royal Rumble, click here.
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