Retirement matches in WWE don’t usually surprise us. We normally see them coming a mile away and we know the legend is almost always going to lose. That’s just the way that it goes. AJ Styles is no different, we just didn’t realize that his match with Gunther was actually going to be his last.
That threw people and the inability to grasp it makes many wonder if or when Styles will have one more match. Chris Van Vliet asked Styles about the subject and the icon said there is one scenario and performers he’d come out of retirement to work with. Let’s talk wrestling.
AJ Styles Key Facts
- Final match: Royal Rumble, January 2026, vs. Gunther
- Career length: 27 years
- WWE tenure: 10 years, Royal Rumble debut to Royal Rumble finish
- Age at retirement: 48
- Last title: WWE Tag Team Championship with Dragon Lee
- Hall of Fame: Inducted after The Undertaker delivered the news on-screen
- Sons in wrestling: Avery, 19, has debuted. Ajay, the eldest, is still playing baseball.
- Now: Coaching at the WWE Performance Center and producing matches for Evolve
Asked whether he was finished for good, Styles pointed at the way the business tends to work rather than making a declaration. He said wrestlers are usually granted one comeback for one match, that he wasn’t saying it would happen, and that you should never say never. Then he named what it would take.
Styles’ son Avery is already in the ring, with a second match booked. His older brother Ajay — spelled A-J-A-Y — got bit by the bug watching that debut, but he’s still playing baseball. For some, seeing Styles return to work alongside his boys would almost be like the equivalent of LeBron James playing with Bronny and Bryce James. Bron has only gotten one of them so far.
Perhaps both legends will wind up playing/performing with both their sons before it is all said and done.
Styles has the better chance as it all has to come together for LeBron during the 2027-28 season, which is set to be his final year in the NBA. The timeline for a professional wrestler is longer and more forgiving. Styles could have a match with his boys while he’s in his 50s and it wouldn’t be too far out of the ordinary.
The entire interview with CVV was interesting and is worth a look and listen.