AJ Styles Reveals Original Plans for His WWE Retirement Match

TLDR

AJ Styles revealed in a WWE vlog on February 20, 2026, that he originally planned to retire at WrestleMania rather than at the Royal Rumble. After returning from a serious injury, Styles decided it didn't feel right to come back for only two months just to retire at WrestleMania, so he chose to end his career at the 2026 Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia - the same event where he debuted in WWE in 2016. His retirement match was against GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble.