The wrestling world is currently speculating about the future of AJ Styles following his retirement from WWE. After being defeated by Gunther in a “career-on-the-line” match at the Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Styles’ tenure in a WWE ring officially concluded. However, rumors have quickly surfaced suggesting that Styles’ contract status may allow him to continue wrestling elsewhere, leading many to believe that a move to AEWcould be on the horizon.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Styles was a primary topic of conversation backstage at AEW last week, with the consensus being that the company will aggressively pursue him if he is legally available to compete. During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, AEW President Tony Khan was asked about Styles’ legacy and what he means to the industry.
While Khan did not explicitly confirm any contract negotiations, his response read like a professional pitch to the multi-time world champion. Khan highlighted Styles’ history in Ring of Honor, now under the AEW umbrella, and his work with partners such as NJPW.
Tony Khan is a big AJ Styles fan
“Oh, I’m a huge fan of AJ Styles. I think he’s incredible. He’s had great matches all over the world,” Khan stated. “We were just talking about ROH. He did some incredible things in ROH that are a part of our library, and also with our partners at New Japan Pro-Wrestling, he was involved in some of the all-time greatest matches.
“His match with Minoru Suzuki is one of my all-time favorites, and he’s had great matches with multiple companies all over the world. He’s never been in AEW before, but he’s certainly, with a lot of the promotions we work with, and of course, in ROH, he has a great history, and for me, he’s one of my all-time favorites, just personally. I think he’s one of the greatest wrestlers ever. So, I have only the highest praise for AJ Styles.”
The retirement of AJ Styles was one of the most significant storylines of the 2026 Royal Rumble. Following his loss to Gunther, reports from Mike Johnson at PWInsider indicated that Styles’ WWE contract was set to expire in February 2026.
While the “retirement” was framed as a finality within the WWE landscape, the technicality of his free-agent status has opened the door for one final run in other promotions. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has noted that Styles “very much had it his way” regarding his exit from the company.
