AJ Styles WWE

AJ Styles' Future in Wrestling Sees Another Interesting Development

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Rick Ucchino | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 7:30 PM ET

AJ Styles' full-time in-ring career may be over, but his time with WWE may not be.

The Phenomenal One lost to Gunther at the Royal Rumble last month and, per the stipulation of the match, was forced to retire. Even still, Styles has gone on record that he may not have wrestled his final match, and his decision not to leave his gloves in the ring in Saudi Arabia reflects that.

Styles told Stephanie McMahon on "What's Your Story?" that he'd like to leave the door open in case he gets the opportunity to wrestle alongside his son. There's also been heavy speculation that he could wrestle one or two dream matches elsewhere once his WWE contract officially expires.

The belief is that AJ's deal is up sometime this month, but there's been no concrete confirmation on those details at this time. Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported last week that WWE attempted to sign Styles to a contract extension prior to the Royal Rumble, but the two sides could not agree on terms.

There have now been two interesting developments since that report came out. The first was Monday's announcement that WWE will be hosting a celebration for Styles during the February 23 edition of WWE Raw in Atlanta, Georgia.

Now, Mike Johnson is reporting that Styles was spotted on Wednesday at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Paul 'Triple H' Levesque would love to see Styles become a coach

There's no information available as to why Styles was at the PC, but this comes on the heels of Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque expressing his desire to see AJ return to the company in a coaching capacity.

During the Royal Rumble post-show back on January 31, Levesque compared Styles to his buddy Shawn Michaels and said that following in HBK's footsteps would be a great career choice for him.

"There are very few people that are universally loved, that are universally respected... Almost no one ever has a bad word to say about AJ Styles," Levesque said. "It’s a testament to the human being that he is," Levesque said. "There will be a lot of people 10 years from now, that when you talk about what got you into this business, they will say AJ Styles."

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that a number of SmackDown talent are being flown into Atlanta for Monday night's tribute to Styles. We'll provide more information on his status with the company as it becomes available.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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