AJ Styles reveals secret behind Royal Rumble retirement moment

Wrestler AJ Styles has revealed the reasoning behind his decision not to leave his gloves in the ring following his final match against Gunther at the 2026 Royal Rumble. While the gesture led fans to speculate whether he was reconsidering his retirement, Styles explained on ‘WWE Retrospective’ that the move was a calculated, private plan.

Styles stated that he intended to save his symbolic farewell for a later date, specifically noting that WWE would be in Atlanta three weeks after the event. He revealed that he kept the decision secret from WWE management, stating, “Nobody else knew about this except for me.”

Reflecting on the emotional weight of the event, Styles described the experience of walking out for his final match as a “very strange moment” that caused him to second-guess himself before focusing on his performance in the ring.