AJ Styles recently shared a revealing insight into his WWE retirement plans during a farewell tour vlog posted by WWE on their YouTube channel, which chronicled the moments leading up to his final WWE match at the Royal Rumble. The former WWE Champion explained how his retirement almost followed a very different path and the reasons why he changed course.
After recovering from a significant foot injury that sidelined him since October 2024, Styles was expected to retire at WrestleMania, WWE’s biggest annual event. However, he felt uncertain about coming back just for a short period before retiring. He expressed his reflections moments before stepping into the ring for what he intended to be his last match:
“Everybody wants to retire at WrestleMania, the biggest show of the year that we do. I was going to do exactly that, but I just came back from an injury that was supposed to retire me. It retires most. Once I got healed up and was comfortable enough running and doing what I need to do to be AJ Styles, it just didn’t feel right to come back for two months just to retire. It didn’t seem right and I thought, what a way to be able to leave on the pay-per-view where you debuted. Hopefully, at the end of this match, I stand up on my own two feet and I throw up the P1 that is on my gloves one more time, and I walk.”
– AJ Styles, Former WWE Champion
The Injury and Final Matches Leading to Retirement
The foot injury AJ Styles sustained had threatened to end his wrestling career abruptly and kept him out of action for several months. Despite the severity, his recovery allowed him to return by the Royal Rumble in February 2025, where fans witnessed his resilience firsthand. Eventually, AJ Styles was slated to face Logan Paul at WrestleMania 41, marking a significant chapter in his concluding matches.
Honoring AJ Styles’ Career on WWE Raw in Atlanta
WWE has planned a tribute event celebrating AJ Styles’ remarkable career on the February 23 edition of WWE Raw. This special episode will take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, recognizing Styles’ enduring impact on the wrestling world and giving fans a moment to reflect on his legacy within WWE.
What AJ Styles’ Retirement Means for WWE
The decision by AJ Styles to delay retiring until after the Royal Rumble, rather than at WrestleMania as traditionally hoped by many wrestlers, highlights the personal struggles athletes face when concluding their careers. His determination to leave the ring on his own terms underscores both the physical and emotional challenges of retirement in professional wrestling. AJ Styles’ farewell and the tribute on WWE Raw are likely to draw significant attention, serving as a poignant reminder of his influence on WWE and the sport as a whole.
