AJ Styles has disappeared. The Phenomenal One had been a fixture of WWE programming throughout 2024, kicking off the year by turning heel in his pursuit of then-Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns alongside both Randy Orton and LA Knight. After that four-man program concluded, Styles stayed at odds with Knight, falling to the megastar at WWE WrestleMania 40. Styles redirected his attention to gold after the Showcase of the Immortals, feuding with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes over the summer. The grand slam champion even faked a retirement to get a rematch with Rhodes at WWE Clash at the Castle. He lost his title match at that show as well and has not been seen on WWE TV since.
Report: AJ Styles’s WWE Future is “Uncertain”
What’s next for AJ Styles?
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As reported by Fightful Select, there is a prevailing belief that AJ Styles’s WWE contract is set to expire “either late this year” or “early next year.” There is no word on whether WWE has made efforts to re-sign him or if Styles has his own plans going forward.
While Styles worked a fake-out retirement angle this past summer, the Phenomenal One has been legitimately looking at hanging up his boots.
“I’m getting close to the end. I want to have that story and match to go with it before I leave the WWE,” Styles said this past April. “I’m done. I’m going to retire. I’m getting to that point where I am worried about embarrassing myself. My brain says, ‘We can do this.’ My body is like, ‘You’re stupid. We cannot do this. We’re hurting every day when we roll out of bed.’ At some point, this has to come to an end.”
ComicBook caught up with Styles at WWE WrestleMania 40, and he certified that he “absolutely” sees himself finishing his in-ring career in WWE. This casts doubt on his potential to make the leap to AEW, despite the fact that he has a number of longtime friends and former colleagues in that company. Styles’s best bet on working a match outside of WWE before retiring altogether is likely something in TNA, as he called that company home over a decade. Now that TNA has a working relationship with WWE, the potential for Styles to be lent to the place he helped build for a one-off is more probable than ever.
Stay tuned to ComicBook for updates on AJ Styles’s wrestling future.
