AJ Styles might be done with his time as a wrestler, but he’s not leaving WWE.
Styles recently reached a new WWE deal which is expected to keep him with the company in a backstage capacity, Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported on Thursday.
The report lines up with comments Styles made earlier this week on the Talk N Shop podcast, where he said he wants to help develop up-and-coming WWE stars in his post-wrestling career.
“I have these dreams and aspirations of helping out the younger talent and helping them get ready,” he said on the podcast. “If somebody isn’t ready, hopefully, get to that point where they can be confident when they go into the ring…being able to help with that is a blessing.”
The 48-year-old officially wrapped up his in-ring career last month when he lost to Gunther at this year’s Royal Rumble card. It was announced on Monday’s episode of Raw that Styles will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April to celebrate his decade with the company.
While some predicted that Styles would leave WWE following the end of his latest deal and retire elsewhere in wrestling, possibly working in a new spot like AEW or returning to past homes like TNA or NJPW, it seems clear now that those possibilities were just fantasy booking.
Styles strongly shut down AEW rumors earlier this week, saying he’s “retired from wrestling.”
