The WWE's “Phenomenal” AJ Styles suffered a gruesome leg injury during his SmackDown return, and it has been compared to an injury suffered by former NFL quarterback Cam Newton.

He took to X, formerly Twitter, to share he has suffered a Lisfranc injury. One fan noted that it is the same injury that took out Newton in 2016, to which Styles replied, “Bingo, as the kids say….I'm cooked!”

So, it does not sound like Styles will be back in the mix for a while. His injury occurred during his match against Carmelo Hayes on the October 4, 2024, episode of SmackDown.

Styles was already limping before lifting Hayes over his shoulders. He dropped Hayes onto his knee before his leg buckled. Styles quickly grabbed it, wincing in pain as he got into the corner. The announcers speculated that AJ Styles' injury was first caused by a missed moonsault off the middle rope.

The referee called the match off, awarding the win to Hayes. United States Champion LA Knight then came to hit a BFT on Hayes after the match ended.

Hopefully, the Phenomenal One can return to. WWE TV sooner rather than later. He is in the twilight of his career and should be a pivotal part of the build to WrestleMania 41.

AJ Styles: From TNA to WWE legend

Before coming to WWE, Styles was a legend in TNA. He is a three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion and has won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times.

Additionally, Styles went to New Japan Pro-Wrestling for a couple of years in the 2010s before his WWE career. He was a part of the Bullet Club while working in the promotion.

At the 2016 Royal Rumble, Styles entered the men's match as the third entrant. He lasted almost a half hour in his WWE debut and was ultimately eliminated by Kevin Owens.

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His first WWE Championship win came in September 2016. He defeated Dean Ambrose and won the title. Styles would hold the title for over 100 days before losing it to John Cena at the 2017 Royal Rumble.

He would later regain the WWE Championship, holding it for over a year before losing it to Daniel Bryan. Styles would also lose his rematch at the TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs PLE in December 2018.

In the following years, Styles reunited with the O.C. The group disbanded after Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows were released. Styles had a WrestleMania match against the Undertaker in 2021, main-eventing the first night of WrestleMania 36 in the process.

He then joined forces with Omos, helping him launch his WWE career. Eventually, Styles was turned on by Omos, ending their alliance. The O.C. members Anderson and Gallows were later brought back to WWE, reuniting the group again.

Chasing the Undisputed WWE Championship

Since then, Styles has challenged for the Undisputed WWE Championship several times. He first competed in a fatal four-way match at the 2024 Royal Rumble against then-champion Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and LA Knight.

He then fought LA Knight at WrestleMania XL, losing to the leader of the “Yeah!” movement. Styles also had several matches against Cody Rhodes for the championship, including at Backlash France and Clash at the Castle: Scotland.