Top WWE Star Announces Plans to Retire in 2026

In an interview with Tokyo Sports, AJ Styles confirmed that he will retire from professional wrestling in 2026. Styles announced:

I will probably appear at WrestleMania, but it’s not confirmed yet. The details are still undecided, but I will definitely retire within the next year. I don’t want to show my fans a side of me that isn’t AJ Styles. That’s the main reason. I’ve decided to retire before my body can no longer move.

Styles has already publicly stated that he will not wrestle past the age of 50, but he won't turn 50 until 2027. A 2026 retirement will cap off a ten-year career in WWE for Styles, who debuted at the 2016 Royal Rumble.

Longtime fans of Styles will always remember him as Mr. TNA. He was the cornerstone wrestler of TNA's X-Division and main event picture for over a decade.

Assuming WWE's partnership with TNA continues, I fully expect WWE to honor Styles' iconic run in TNA and incorporate his history with the promotion into his retirement celebration.

Furthermore, with AJ already having appeared on a TNA pay-per-view while under contract with WWE, I expect him to wrestle one more match inside of a TNA ring — perhaps that will be his last.

Before Styles receives his flowers, he will have the opportunity to be one of John Cena's final opponents at WWE Crown Jewel on October 11.

Styles has stated that he has no interest in entering any Hall of Fames until he is no longer an active wrestler. Shortly after he retires, expect "The Phenomenal One" to be inducted in WWE and TNA's Hall of Fames as swiftly as a Pelé Kick.