When AJ Styles was announced for a “Career Threatening” match against Gunther at the Royal Rumble, it looked like WWE fans could be seeing the end of the line for the “Phenomenal One.”
Facing off against the new “Legend Killer” who just added John Cena's jorts to his mantle the month prior, Styles reminded fans why he's one of the most revolutionary performers of the last two decades, delivering a greatest hits list of his signature moves before ultimately being choked out by the “Ring General” until the bell rang.
After the match, Styles took off his signature gloves and looked out into the crowd, preparing for the time-honored tradition of leaving one's boots in the ring before calling it a career, but in a strange twist of fate, he had a change of heart. Styles slid back on his gloves and saluted the crowd before leaving the ring with all of his gear.
This, when coupled with the decision to stay saying he was putting his “WWE career” on the line and a recent trademark filing by Allen “AJ Styles” Jones for his in-ring name and logo, has left fans wondering if the “Phenomenal One” could pop up in another promotion and have his retirement tour away from the promotion he's called home for years now.
To their credit, WWE tried to keep Kayfabe alive. In the promotion's post-show, Paul “Triple H” Levesque assured fans that Styles was done done, noting that he doesn't believe the 48-year-old would go back on his word.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations on the off-chance when this all came down. Obviously, we expected it later in the year. We had a lot of conversations about it. AJ is one of those people that absolutely wants to give back and be a part of this business. I don’t wanna speak for him, but the conversations that he had with me, he made it very clear that he was just done with the in-ring,” Levesque said via Fightful.
“There’s a point when you just reach in your career where you say, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, and when your heart goes, no matter how good you are — he hasn’t lost a step, at anything — but when you just say, I’m just at a place when I don’t wanna do this anymore, it’s time.' Before you get hurt, before you get told you’re not allowed to do this anymore. I think he was there. I’m hoping that he will contribute, because again, he’s one of the most influential people in the business and one of the greatest minds in the business, and I think when you see somebody like what Shawn Michaels is doing in NXT, I think that’s a path and a career for AJ Styles, beyond this period that he’s in.”
Could Levesque prove correct? Or does he know he isn't, but also that the majority of WWE fans follow only the promotion, allowing him to maintain kayfabe even if many of their peers will watch Styles wrestle elsewhere before the end of the year? Either way, if Styles is available, Tony Khan needs to come calling, as there are some dream matches in AEW that could feed families.
Kenny Omega
The last time Kenny Omega and AJ Styles shared a ring together, it was all the way back in January of 2016, when the former jumped the latter to become the new leader of the Bullet Club.
Now granted, Styles was leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling for WWE and, as a result, needed to be taken out for logistical as well as creative reasons, but even now, a decade later, it's not hard to imagine the two-time former IWGP Heavyweight Champion entering the promotion and immediately demanding a receipt from the AEW EVP.
Like Omega, Styles has a history with Good Brothers, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson, using the duo as his heaters between gigs in WWE as part of The OC, and that trio could return to AEW and wage war against The Elite. Styles, who has tagged with the Young Bucks in the past, could work singles matches against the Jackson brothers, the trio could wrestle in less formal street fights, and ultimately get into the title scene one way or another, be that all six men going for the Trios Titles, or Omega feuding with his fellow Bullet Club leader for a singles belt.
Factor in the presence of a Bullet Club chapter in AEW, Bullet Club Gold, and a feud between Omega and Styles ending in a Pay-Per-View title match(s) would be a great way to make the “Phenomenal One” All Elite.
Jay White
Speaking of leaders of Bullet Club in AEW, technically, the only person on the roster with that particular moniker is “Switchblade” Jay White, who took the role from Omega back in New Japan and still technically holds it despite David Finlay holding things down with the War Dogs in Japan.
One of the top in-ring stars in the world, who notably main evented Madison Square Garden at G1 Supercard, White has been missing since April of 2025 after suffering a hand injury, but could theoretically return at any point that makes sense for AEW and his recovery.
Could that be for a Bullet Club Civil War against Styles, who wants to take his former role back in AEW? That certainly feels possible.
As things presently stand, Bullet Club Gold features White, Juice Robinson, Ace Austin, and the Gunn Club minus Billy. Styles could take over that group and lead them to heights White has never imagined in Khan's company, making the return of “King Switch” all the more impressive. White could then return to challenge Styles for leadership of the group, or simply debut his own Club to compete with Juice and company, be that with the Good Brothers or some other wrestlers from his past.
Either way, White was a young boy not yet in the main event scene when he last shared the ring with Styles. Getting the duo in a match during their primes would be an incredible full-circle moment for AEW, NJPW, and wrestling as a whole.
Will Ospreay
If Styles can have one match in AEW, it should be against Will Ospreay.
Styles is Ospreay's biggest influence, to the point where the “Billy Goat” started using the Styles Clash as a tribute to the TNA legend and has openly stated that he would love to wrestle Styles a third time to complete a trilogy that began at High Stakes 2015 in RevPro and culminated a few months later with a RevPro British Heavyweight Title match at RevPro Uprising later that year.
Booking Ospreay vs. Styles, even without a title, could main event any AEW show of the year, even All In at Wembley Stadium in London, and would genuinely draw in additional PPV sales from fans eager to see the greatest wrestlers of the last generation go head-to-head against the top guy in this era in a match that could break Dave Meltzer's scale.
Could Styles ultimately keep his word to Levesque and remain retired from in-ring action? Sure, but considering Ospreay tweeted out “Phenomenal” with a capital P during the Royal Rumble, it's clear he's remained just as excited about the prospects of Styles finally taking his talents to AEW as many fans around the world are, and could use his considerable sway within the company to get a match on the books this year.
