AJ Styles Will Retire With WWE, Is On Final Contract
42-year-old will hang up his boots when WWE tenure winds down.
Anyone hoping to someday see AJ Styles align with Kenny Omega and co. in AEW in the near future would be advised against holding their breath; The Phenomenal One has once again confirmed that he plans to call it a day when his current WWE deal expires.
Speaking on Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast alongside OC pals Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Styles restated that will go home to his kids at the end of his contract - implying he has absolutely no interest in one last big AEW payday:
"I can tell you that the contract that I signed, here in the WWE, is my last. This is it for me. This is where I'm going to end my career no matter what happens. I got to, you know? I want to be there for my kids."
The Georgian put pen to paper on new WWE terms this past March, signing on with the company for a further five years. What this means, then, is that Styles plans to hang up the gloves come 2024.
Obviously, a lot can happen in five years which could see AJ leave the promotion for pastures new - or even retire in advance of his stated end date. The 21-year veteran and committed family man has frequently made clear his plans to wrap it up in the next few years, so an extension beyond the stipulated end date seems unlikely. Heck, we don't know even know if WWE and AEW will exist in half a decade's time; it's simply not worth speculating.