AJ Styles is a professional wrestler who retired at the Royal Rumble 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Styles is also known as “The Phenomenal”; he made his official WWE debut in 2016, when he made a surprise entrance as number 3 at the 2016 Royal Rumble. He is considered one of the biggest signings in the history of WWE. In his debut year, AJ Styles played the character, who used to say he was “The Face That Runs the Place”. Styles quickly established himself as a main eventer in the WWE and went on to have a feud with Dean Ambrose.
He faced Ambrose at the 2016 Backlash, where Styles turned heel and delivered a blow and a Styles Clash to Ambrose to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career. Styles won his second world championship in 2017 by defeating Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown. Styles, in his second reign as the world champion, held the title for more than 370 days. He lost his championship against Daniel Bryan.
Over the years, Styles wrestled many memorable matches with many legendary superstars, including facing The Undertaker in a boneyard match, which turned out to be the final wrestling match of The Undertaker’s WWE career. In 2025, Styles publicly announced that he would be retiring in 2026. He went on to have a feud with “The Ring General”, Gunther, where Gunther challenged Styles to put his career on the line. Styles and Gunther officially faced each other in a 20+ minute match at the Royal Rumble 2026, where Gunther defeated Styles, ending the legendary WWE career of “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles.
AJ Styles’s Top 5 WWE Moments
1. Shocking Debut
After years of speculation and being called the biggest name to never sign with WWE, AJ Styles shocked the world when he made his official debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble. This moment remains one of the greatest “pop” moments in Rumble history. Styles came out and stood face-to-face with the defending WWE Champion, Roman Reigns. Styles performed exceptionally well in this Royal Rumble match; however, he was ultimately eliminated by Kevin Owens.
2. Defeating John Cena at SummerSlam
AJ Styles vs John Cena is one of the best rivalries WWE has ever produced; they have had multiple great matches. However, at SummerSlam 2016, in Styles’s debut year, he faced John Cena. This match was a technical masterpiece, which kept fans on their toes; however, at the end of the match, in a very shocking moment, Styles pinned John Cena clean. This win established Styles as “The Face That Runs the Place” on the SmackDown brand.
3. First World Championship
Just nine months after his debut, Styles was placed in the main event picture, where he went on to have a feud with WWE Champion Dean Ambrose. They officially faced each other for the first time at the 2016 Backlash, where Styles defeated Ambrose to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
4. AJ Styles in Paris
One of the craziest moments in the history of WWE happened at the 2024 Backlash in Paris, where Styles faced Cody Rhodes for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Before the match even began, the 16,000 fans in attendance hijacked the show and started chanting, “Il est vraiment, il est vraiment, il est vraiment phénoménal lalalalalala!” This whole segment lasted for more than 10 minutes, which forced the wrestlers to stop the match for a while and just take in the moment.
5. Grand Slam
Styles completed his Grand Slam in the WWE at WrestleMania 37 in Tampa, Florida. Styles teamed up with Omos and faced The New Day for the Raw Tag Team Championships. This match was very exciting as handling the giant Omos was very difficult for the New Day. At the end of the match, Styles and Omos defeated the New Day to win the Raw Tag Team Championships, and with this win, Styles completed his Grand Slam in the WWE.
FAQs
Q. Is AJ Styles still in the WWE?
A. No, Styles wrestled his last match in the WWE at the Royal Rumble 2026, and on February 2, 2026, his contract officially expired.
Q. Who retired AJ Styles?
A. “The Career Killer” Guther retired AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble 2026.
Q. Is AJ Styles a Grand Slam Champion in WWE?
A. Yes, Styles has won all the Championships in WWE, making him a Grand Slam Champion.
Q. Has AJ Styles ever main-evented WrestleMania?
A. Styles has never been able to main event WrestleMania
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