AJ Styles Signs New Multi-Year WWE Contract
Phenomenal One signs deal reportedly worth more than $3 million a year.
It looks like AJ Styles is one wrestler who will be staying put with WWE for the long haul, and cashing some big checks along the way.
Fightful Select reported Tuesday that Styles, a two-time WWE Champion, has re-signed with the company, inking a multi-year deal that avoids the possibility of him hitting free agency, as his original contract was slated to expire this spring or summer. Had he opted to leave, there's little doubt multiple companies would have been salivating at snapping up the Phenomenal One. Fightful indicated that WWE was aware of this and wanted to lock him up before there was any chance of a suitor stepping up.
Styles, 44, debuted for WWE at Royal Rumble 2016 as a surprise entrant in the eponymous match. Since then, he's held nearly every title the promotion has. He's proven himself to be extremely versatile, recently finishing a year-long run in a tag team with green rookie Omos and then returning to singles competition and lighting it up once again.
The report notes that Styles is said to be very happy with the company and would like to continue working for WWE after his in-ring career is over. Though the length of the deal wasn't revealed, it is reportedly worth "well over $3 million a year," with sources stating that "he deserved every penny" and would make that amount back for WWE.
We should remind everyone that WWE contracts are not like typical sports contracts, as the company can release a superstar at any given time and only be obligated to cover the 90-day no-compete period. We've seen WWE release several wrestlers in the past two years who had significant time remaining on their existing deals.
Styles most recently competed in the Elimination Chamber match, where he was pinned by Brock Lesnar.