Swerve Strickland All Elite Wrestling - Lee South

Swerve Strickland Weighs In on AJ Styles Joining AEW

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Zack Heydorn | Last updated Feb 23, 2026 1:15 PM ET

One of the major stories coming out of the WWE Royal Rumble this years was the retirement of AJ Styles.

At the Royal Rumble , Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan punched their ticket to WrestleMania championship matches by winning their respective Royal Rumble matches. However, it was the future of Styles that occupied much of the narrative coming out of that show.

At the Royal Rumble, Styles wrestled Gunther with the stipulation on the line that if he lost the match, he'd have to retire from WWE . Styles and Gunther had been at odds since Gunther retired and then disrespected John Cena at the end of 2025. They wrestled on multiple occasions, but the only way Gunther green lit this one was if Styles put his career on the line.

In the match, Styles fought hard, but ended up passing out to Gunther's sleeper hold choke manuever. After, Styles stood in the ring and soaked in cheers from the crowd. He nearly placed his gloves in the ring, but put them back on to signal that he may eventually return to the ring.

Swerve Strickland welcomes AJ Styles to AEW

WWE

Will that return happen in WWE? If you're AEW star Swerve Strickland, the answer to that question is absolutely not. Rumors have swirled regarding Styles continuing his career in AEW. In a recent interview with Monopoly Events, Swerve Strickland called for Styles to join the company due to the influence he's had in it without actually being there yet.

“Happy for AJ. Proud of AJ. He’s someone I would study endlessly, alongside Bryan Danielson and those guys in that era. Nigel McGuinness, I looked up to, watched those guys. AJ has earned more than enough in his career to walk away from it or continue on and do something different and unique with the generation of guys he has curated and spawned."Swerve Strickland

Strickland continued:

"His influence spawned an AEW style. Will Ospreay, Seth Rollins, myself, Mike Bailey, we’ve all watched and studied AJ. So if he wants to take a chance to come to AEW, which he is more than capable, healthy and in great shape mentally, hopefully, and physically, from what I view, to compete in All Elite Wrestling. We’re all here."Swerve Strickland

On this week's episode of WWE Raw from Atlanta, the company is planning a special tribute to Styles. As for Strickland, he made waves on last week's episode of AEW Dynamite by turning heel on Kenny Omega.

Strickland defeated Omega in the show's main event, but the real news came after the match. Strickland assaulted Omega with a chain and left him in a heap on the outside of the ring after putting him through an announce table.

All signs point to Strickland now facing Omega again at some point down the road. Currently, because of scheduled conflicts, that match is likely not to happen at AEW Revolution in March.

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

More must-reads: