AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at this past weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event in a match harkening back to their storied history in Japan.
Next up for The Phenomenal One is Gunther at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, where the former WWE Champion's career will be on the line against the man who retired Goldberg and John Cena in 2025.
However, a major spoiler for that bout has seemingly been revealed in a now-deleted Instagram post from Nakamura. The King of Strong Style recalled a conversation with Styles last October and seemingly confirmed that it was then that Styles made his intention to retire at the Rumble known (the same PLE he made his WWE debut a decade ago).
"During last year’s Australia tour, at a house show in Melbourne, AJ gave a speech after the match," Nakamura wrote. "Listening to it, it was clear he was thanking the fans. But somehow, it felt like he was hinting that retirement might not be that far away. The tour continued to Japan, and before the shows there, I asked him something."
"We were in a van on the way to the meet and greet. I asked him, 'When are you going to retire?' He answered, 'The Royal Rumble, I’ve already decided,'" he continued. "Whether I actually said it out loud or just thought it for a split second, I’m not sure. But I remember it clearly. 'Before you retire, I want to wrestle you one more time.' AJ nodded."
PWInsider.com has since chimed in, revealing that Styles always planned to end his in-ring career before WrestleMania 42 (many fans have questioned why his farewell wouldn't happen at the Show of Shows).
As a result, WWE has had Styles's retirement plans in place for several months, with the decision made for him to end his WWE in-ring career where it started in 2016.
It's not clear what the future holds in store for Styles after Gunther presumably ends his career. There's been some talk of him taking on a backstage role in the company, but he's said in multiple interviews that he hopes to spend more time at home with his children.
Check out Nakamura's post in full below.