AJ Styles reiterated his plan to retire next year.
Speaking at the Crown Jewel kickoff event before Friday Night SmackDown, the 48-year-old spoke about his desire to wrestle for the rest of his life, but doesn’t want to embarrass himself. He stated he needs to spend time with his family and that he will retire in 2026.
Styles recently shared this exit strategy when speaking with Tokyo Sports in September, but left it vague regarding when in 2026 he would wind down his in-ring career.
“In 2026, I will retire.”
AJ Styles confirms that his in ring career will end next year. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/1YQlV2HvbV
— WWE (@WWE) October 10, 2025
He began wrestling in 1998 and rose through the Georgia independents and landed on WCW’s radar just as it was about to shut down in 2001. Styles had several matches in the final weeks of operation where he teamed with Air Paris as Air Raid.
After turning down a developmental deal with WWE, he continued on the independents and started to break out in 2002 through his work in Ring of Honor and the company he became synonymous with, NWA TNA.
He spent eleven years with TNA, becoming a key figure in establishing the X Division as a six-time champion, multiple reigns as a tag champion, and winning the NWA/TNA championship five times.
In 2013, his contract ended, and he opted to become a free agent and instantly became a draw across the independents he worked and joined New Japan Pro Wrestling in the spring of 2014, immediately becoming the IWGP Heavyweight Champion as part of The Bullet Club.
Before Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016, he alerted the company he was leaving, along with Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and Shinsuke Nakamura, for WWE and would debut at the Royal Rumble later that month.
Despite skepticism about how well he would be utilized, Styles would ascend the ladder, becoming WWE champion twice. He first won the title in September 2016 on the SmackDown brand, and regained it in November 2017 for a one-year reign.
One year after his WWE arrival, he was voted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
