The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble is happening on for Saturday, January 31, and as usual, the event is packed with surprises. Just two hours into the show, which is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a WWE legend played what appears to be his final match, much to the surprise of viewers and the audience.
The 2026 Royal Rumble features the famed 30-Superstar Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches, and the winners of the event snag championship opportunities at WrestleMania 42.
The event is exclusively streaming in the United States via the ESPN App on their ESPN Unlimited plan, either directly or through a traditional pay TV package.
“The card will also include a high-stakes Undisputed WWE Championship Match as champion Drew McIntyre defends his title against Sami Zayn,” a press release from ESPN states. “In addition, AJ Styles will put his career on the line against ‘The Ring General’ Gunther.”
WWE Great Unexpectedly Retires
In a press release, ESPN teased that AJ Styles would be putting his “career on the line” against Gunther. Well, Styles lost the match, putting an end to his WWE career, at least according to the stakes of the match.
“The loss brings a definitive end to Styles’ ten-year run with WWE,” Pro Wrestling states in an article out after the match wrapped up. “After building a global reputation as one of the industry’s premier talents in TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Styles made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble to a thunderous ovation.”
After the match, the crowd in the Riyadh Season Arena rose to their feet and called out Styles’ name. Styles recovered and stood in the ring, taking in the cheering.
“In a moment of uncertainty, Styles removed his gloves, appearing as if he intended to leave them in the ring,” Pro Wrestling states “However, he ultimately put them back on. He offered his signature ‘P1’ hand signal to the audience one final time before his music hit, and he left the ring.”
So, consider it a retirement announcement. Surely, Styles will say more after the 2026 Royal Rumble has ended and shed more light on what’s next for him.
WWE Fans React to AJ Styles Outcome
WWE fans weren’t happy to see Styles go down. Followers took to social media after the match to express their thoughts.
“That’s insane. But come on we all knew it was gonna end that way,” one said. “Congratulations Triple H you had officially just become Vince Mcmahon 2.0,” another said.
“Thank you AJ Styles for all these phenomenal years. I really hoped we could get one last title run,” another added. “The second I heard the promo about AJ wanting a retirement tour as well it became predictable,” one more said.
“End of an era—AJ Styles hit a massive Styles Clash, but Gunther kicked out to ultimately end the Phenomenal One’s legendary career,” another said. “Styles vs. Styles is always chaos,” one more said. “Different eras, same swagger — crowd ate that up instantly.”
So, even if WWE followers weren’t happy at the result, they gave Styles props for a lifetime of wrestling and his celebrated career.
WWE Legend Announces Surprise Retirement News at Royal Rumble