AJ Styles may have lost what was billed as his WWE retirement match, but the door doesn’t appear to be fully closed just yet.
Styles was defeated by Gunther at the Royal Rumble last weekend under a stipulation that required him to retire if he lost. After being choked out, Styles created immediate buzz when he removed his gloves, only to put them back on instead of leaving them in the ring.
That moment sparked widespread speculation about whether the loss truly marked the end of his in-ring career.
Appearing on a new episode of What’s Your Story? with Steph McMahon podcast (see video below), Styles was asked directly about that decision and what it was meant to signify.
“I don’t know. I don’t know,” Styles said about putting his gloves back on. “Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I know there’s … I think everybody’s allowed at least once coming out of retirement. I’m not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon. I mean, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once. You never know. There’ll be a time when the gloves never go back on and it may be now, but we’ll see.”
Styles acknowledged that while there will eventually be a definitive end, he believes wrestlers often reserve the right to return at least once.
Even if that decision never comes to pass.
The conversation also touched on his family and a potential next generation. Styles revealed that his second-oldest son has shown serious interest in wrestling and is currently training with him. He added that it wouldn’t shock him if his daughter and oldest son pursued wrestling as well, noting that only his youngest child has shown no interest in sports so far.
“I never thought I would want my kids to wrestle, but it’s way different than it’s ever been and a lot better than it’s ever been,” Styles said. “It’s done right at this point. So I’d be happy if they wrestled.”
While the Royal Rumble loss felt sudden to many fans, it had previously been known that Styles was planning to retire at some point in 2026. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque has also expressed interest in keeping Styles involved with the company in a behind-the-scenes role once his in-ring career officially comes to an end.
For now, the gloves are still on.
And that alone leaves just enough room for one more chapter.
Which may, or may not ever come.
- MORE AJ STYLES RETIREMENT NEWS: Backstage News On AJ Styles’ WWE Departure & Future Plans: Is AEW A Possibility?
Honored to have as my next guest…The Phenomenal, @AJStylesOrg!
An all new #whatsyourstory drops tomorrow morning wherever you get your pods.
@WWE @Fanatics @EGxo pic.twitter.com/zsRuSDcVYJ
— Stephanie McMahon (@StephMcMahon) February 5, 2026
