AJ Styles has addressed why he didn’t leave his gloves inside the ring following his WWE retirement match against GUNTHER at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
With his 27 year in-ring career on the line, AJ Styles fell to GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with “The Ring General” forcing AJ to pass out with a rear-naked chokehold.
Although Styles was publicly adamant about his intention to retire in 2026 throughout last year, his actions immediately after his loss on January 31, seemingly suggested that “The Phenomenal One” could potentially still have some more gas left in the tank after all.
After the loss, when Styles was receiving adulation from the crowd, Styles went to place his gloves in the middle of the ring – a symbol of his retirement.
However, the former two-time WWE Champion instead had a change of heart and put his gloves back on before hitting his signature pose, leading to speculation regarding his future inside the ring.
Speaking to Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story? Styles admitted there’s a possibility that he could wrestle again at some point in the future after being asked why he didn’t leave his gloves in the ring:
“I don’t know. I don’t know. Never say never, that’s the saying right?
“I think everybody’s allowed at least once coming out of retirement. I’m not saying I will do it any time soon…
“…What if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once, you never know.
“There’ll be a time when the gloves never go back on and it may be now, but we’ll see.”
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WWE’s Triple H and Peter Rosenberg stated that Styles was done competing in the ring based on conversations they had had with him, with Triple H opening the door for AJ to perhaps continue working with WWE behind the scenes in the future.
While there’s no word on whether Styles would be interested in a move outside of WWE at this time, AEW President Tony Khan did address his retirement in an interview on February 4 – click here for full details.
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