AJ Styles Retires After Loss to GUNTHER at Royal Rumble 2026 – AJ Styles’ WWE career has officially come to an end following his loss to GUNTHER at the 2026 Royal Rumble premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. GUNTHER lived up to his growing reputation as the self-proclaimed “Career Killer,” defeating Styles in a career-threatening match that concluded a weeks-long rivalry between the two.
The feud entering the Royal Rumble had already tilted in GUNTHER’s favor. He held two prior victories over Styles, though one of those wins came under controversial circumstances. During a previous match on RAW, Styles forced GUNTHER to tap out, but the submission occurred out of the referee’s line of sight. GUNTHER went on to win that bout, leading Styles to demand one final rematch. GUNTHER accepted, but only on the condition that Styles put his WWE career on the line.
The match itself was physical from the opening moments. Early on, Styles suffered a deep cut to his forearm after taking a hard backdrop onto the commentary table, leaving visible blood as the contest continued. Despite the injury, Styles pressed on and fought with urgency, knowing the stakes could not be higher.
GUNTHER, however, maintained control for large portions of the match. His power and relentless offense gradually wore Styles down. In the closing moments, GUNTHER delivered a devastating clothesline before locking in a sleeper hold. With Styles unable to lift his arm to signal consciousness, the referee called for the bell, officially ending the match and Styles’ WWE career.
The reaction inside the stadium was initially subdued as the reality of the moment set in. Styles slowly regained awareness and appeared ready to leave his gloves in the ring as a symbol of retirement, though he paused before doing so. Instead, he put the gloves back on, climbed the turnbuckles, and struck his trademark pose. That moment sparked a loud response from the Saudi Arabian crowd, who gave Styles a standing ovation as he exited the ring for the final time.
Styles’ WWE journey began at the 2016 Royal Rumble, where he made his surprise debut as the third entrant in the men’s match. Nearly ten years later, fittingly at another Royal Rumble, that journey has come full circle.
With this victory, GUNTHER has now retired multiple legends, including Bill Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, further cementing his legacy as one of the most dominant and unforgiving competitors of this era.
AJ Styles Retires After Loss to GUNTHER at Royal Rumble 2026
WA on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wrestlingattitude/
WA on Facebook (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.facebook.com/WrestlingDivas/
WA on X/Twitter - https://x.com/wa_wrestling
WA on Instagram (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.instagram.com/wa_wrestlingattitude/
WA on Google News - https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMJf3owsw2oG8Aw
WA on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlingattitude.bsky.social
