AJ Styles In Talks With WWE Over His Future

WWE and AJ Styles are currently in talks over the 48-year-old's future with the company.

PWInsider has reported that WWE and Styles had been discussing a new contract, but a deal was not locked in ahead of the Royal Rumble and the decision was made to book Gunther vs. AJ Styles at the pay-per-view. It was also Styles' decision to end his WWE career at the Royal Rumble to close out his time in the ring at the same event where he started for the company at Royal Rumble 2016. Styles would ultimately lose to Gunther in a match with Styles' career on the line.

Following Styles' WWE retirement, the two sides are still in talks over his future with the organisation. It is unknown if a new deal has been signed, but Triple H noted following the Royal Rumble that he wanted Styles to stick around in a backstage role.

As of several months ago, Styles' contract with WWE was believed to be expiring in February 2026. Should he become a free agent and want to continue wrestling, Styles is expected to have interest from All Elite Wrestling and New Japan.

People within WWE also believe he will perform again, and Styles himself didn't rule out wrestling again following his retirement, saying on Stephanie McMahon's podcast:

"I don't know. I don't know. Never say never, right? That's the saying. I think everybody's allowed at least once to come out of retirement. I'm not saying that I'll do it anytime soon....What if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once, you never know. So, there'll be a time when the gloves never go back on. It may be now, but we'll see."