In September 2024, AJ Styles made his long-awaited return to WWE television and opened SmackDown with a match against Carmelo Hayes.
The bout ended up being stopped when the Phenomenal One suffered a Lisfranc injury, which occurs when bones in the midfoot are broken or ligaments that support the midfoot are torn. He was sidelined for the remainder of that year, but returned at the 2025 Royal Rumble and later feuded with Dominick Mysterio before getting the opportunity for one final match with John Cena at Crown Jewel.
He and Dragon Lee have since won the World Tag Team Championship, defeating The Judgement Day's Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh, but lost them 70 days later to The Usos.
It's been reported that WWE had plans for Styles to retire in 2025. However, that was delayed due to the aforementioned injury. Now, though, the former WWE Champion has reaffirmed his plans to step away from the ring in 2026 while talking to WWE Hall of Famer, The Undertaker.
"Here’s the thing about retirement, it is the opportunity to go out of your way not because of injury but standing on your own two feet," Styles told the Deadman. "To be able to do that, to me, is a celebration, so I hope that when it does happen, you guys celebrate with me that I achieved my goals."
An icon in TNA, Styles has made his mark in WWE since signing with the company in 2016. However, the one goal he never managed to achieve was a dream match with Shawn Michaels.
Talking to Sports Illustrated earlier this week, he said, "You never know. One day we might be rolling around with no one watching it. That would be enough for me."
“The thing that I regret the most about not being able to get in the ring with Shawn Michaels is the opportunity to learn from him," he continued. "That would have been priceless. It just wasn’t meant to be. Hopefully we’ll get the opportunity to work together in some capacity, whether it’s developing talent or just helping the brand get better altogether."
It's widely believed that Styles will remain with WWE in some capacity, likely working in a backstage role to help shape the next generation of WWE Superstars. WWE hasn't officially announced his retirement, and, as of now, we don't know who his final opponent is likely to be.
You can hear more from Styles in the player below.