AJ Styles FINALLY Addresses THOSE AEW Rumors... (WWE News)
Spoiler Alert: AJ Styles won't be leaving WWE for AEW and says he 'makes his own choices'.
AJ Styles won't be showing up on AEW TV anytime soon.
The recently-retired super-worker, who called time on his legendary career with a loss to Gunther at Royal Rumble this past January, told Talk N Shop Live: "I make my own choices. I make my own decisions". AJ also shot down rumours that WWE only agreed to put him in this year's Hall Of Fame shortly before WrestleMania 42 so he wouldn't leave the company and join Tony Khan's promotion.
According to Styles himself, that is utter nonsense. He was the one who elected to step away from active wrestling, and now he's looking forward to developing the next wave of WWE stars. That's another revelation - AJ wants to help train and nurture fresh talent and ready them for the rigours of life with the market leader.
So, could a berth at the Performance Center or alongside Shawn Michaels on developmental brand NXT be waiting for him? Don't rule it out. What Styles told the hosts on Talk N Shop certainly suggests he loves the thought of doing his bit as a trainer/mentor.
There will be no sweeping debut on AEW Dynamite in his immediate future though. AJ is team WWE all the way, and said he was mindful of staying on "the table for too long" before retiring. He didn't want to see his in-ring performances dip to embarrassing levels, so he made the call to retire by staring at the lights.
It was poetic that he retired a full 10 years after debuting in WWE, not least on the same Rumble event he'd shocked the world on in 2016.