AJ Styles has issued a statement regarding his retirement, just one day before Netflix streams WWE's Crown Jewel event.
Born Allen Neal Jones, Styles, has enjoyed a long and highly successful career in professional wrestling.
After debuting in 1998, he competed across several independent promotions, before eventually signing with WWE, where he would go on to become one of their biggest stars.
During his WWE career, he won two WWE Championships and participated in numerous memorable matches, including his legendary game with John Cena at the Royal Rumble in 2017, which he eventually lost.
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Now, ahead of WWE's Crown Jewel event in Perth, Australia, Styles has confirmed that he will retire next year. Last month, during an interview with Tokyo Sports, Styles had confirmed that he plans to retire from wrestling in 2026.
Speaking ahead of the Crown Jewel event, Styles elaborated on his retirement plans.
He said: "I'm getting old folks. Listen, if I could find the fountain of youth and take a couple of sips, I would wrestle for the rest of my life.
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"But, I am getting older, the fear of embarrassing myself is getting closer and you know what there comes a time in a man's life when he has to take care of business.
"But then when business is done, it's time to take care of his family.
"I need to spend time with my family. The whole idea with wrestling and having an amazing future in this business is to be able to retire one day.
"In 2026, I will retire."
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Styles' WWE contract will reportedly expire in February 2026, but he has confirmed he will compete at WrestleMania 42 next April in Las Vegas.
For now, his focus is on the Crown Jewel event, where he will once again take on Cena.
Styles has made it clear that this will be their final match against each other, with Cena also set to retire at the end of the year.
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He said: “I am happy to get the opportunity to face John one more time and I can tell you this.
"It will never happen again.
"I don’t care how much money, they offer us…
"We are NOT going to Saudi Arabia to have another match. You know, this is it man.”
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The bout will mark the conclusion of one of WWE's great rivalries, which began in 2016 and included a championship battle at the Royal Rumble.
Topics: AJ Styles, WWE, Wrestling, John Cena, WrestleMania
James Taylor