10 Major Stars That Could Leave WWE Next

3. AJ Styles

Mercedes Moné Becky Lynch
WWE

AJ Styles has spent more time in WWE than the combined duration of The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin's times atop the organisation.

This is as impressive now as it was unthinkable back before his surprising Royal Rumble 2016 entrance. 'The Phenomenal One' had built up an iconic body of work in ROH, TNA and NJPW specifically, and had countless glowing independent offerings on a wrestling resumé that was starting to position him as something of a 21st Century Sting - the guy who does everything there is to do in wrestling without ever needing the supposedly brightest lights of the market leader while working at his peak.

Against all prior convention though, Styles fit like one of own patterned gloves within the system when he finally arrived. A decorated former WWE Champion and still only 45, a serious ankle injury sustained in December 2022 has caused one of the first extended layoffs he's had since debuting.

Could he survey the scene during his time away and be tempted back towards the life he once knew? There are few that appear as content within the company as the former Bullet Club leader, but he need only look to certain present and former stablemates to see the wealth of opportunities for a man that might still have a few big bumps left on his body's ticking clock.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett