AJ Styles Reflects on WWE Retirement

Styles was interviewed on Barrasso’s “Undisputed,” where he spoke about how much he loves his job, and it’s going to “suck” when it’s over. Though he made it clear it was better for him to retire on his own terms than not. He said:

“I’ve had a tremendous time in professional wrestling. Not many people can say they love their job. I do. It’s going to suck when it’s over. But that’s always been my ultimate goal — to retire on my own terms.” (h/t: F4Wonline)

Styles had been wrestling for many years before he made his WWE debut in 2016 as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match. Styles made a name for himself while in Ring of Honor, TNA, and, of course, New Japan Pro Wrestling, all before his WWE debut.

In the same interview, Styles spoke about how former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wanted him in the company because of his NJPW career. Due to that, Styles credits wrestling in Japan as his WWE job saver. He said:

“There’s no doubt in my mind that I may not have made it to WWE without Japan. My tenure in Japan helped me figure out who I was and what I wanted to do. When I went to WWE, Vince wanted me to be who I was in Japan. That style from Japan did not change when I went to WWE. That’s the guy Vince wanted, so I didn’t have to change anything. Maybe that’s why it got over so well.”

Even though Styles' career is winding down, he’s not done just yet.

AJ Styles' Recent WWE Run

Styles has been on a high note lately. A week ago, on the October 20 episode of WWE Raw , Styles and Dragon Lee defeated Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and JD McDonagh to become the new WWE World Tag Team Champions. This is the second time that Styles has been the tag team champ. The first was from April 2021 to August 2021 with Omos, then the titles were known as the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships.

As mentioned, Styles did a recent run in Australia and Japan. He faced John Cena at the 2025 Crown Jewel PLE in Perth , Western Australia, Australia, on October 11. The match got rave reviews and cemented Styles and Cena even more as legends in the ring. On October 17 in Tokyo, Japan, Styles defeated El Grande Americano and Ivar at the WWE SuperShow Japan, and the next night, he defeated Kofi Kingston. So Styles has been busy lately, and that’s a good thing because, for a while there, he was being a bit underutilized. Now all he needs is a WWE World Title run before he retires, and his WWE run will be golden.