GUNTHER Ends AJ Styles’ WWE Career at Royal Rumble—Then Drops a Brutal Post-Match Statement
GUNTHER may not have won the Royal Rumble, but he left the event with something far more shocking on his résumé: the end of AJ Styles’ WWE career.
At the 2026 Royal Rumble, Styles put everything on the line in a career-threatening showdown against the Ring General, hoping to prove he could still stand at the very top. Instead, the match ended in haunting fashion, with Styles losing consciousness after refusing to submit.
The aftermath was just as emotional. A visibly shaken Styles removed his gloves inside the ring, briefly teasing retirement on the spot before ultimately putting them back on and walking away—a moment that left fans stunned and uncertain about what comes next.
During the post-show press conference, GUNTHER didn’t soften his words. Reflecting on the match, he made it clear that legends don’t define his legacy—dominance does.
“My career is not about them,” GUNTHER said. “It’s not about Goldberg, John Cena, or AJ Styles. It’s about myself. That’s all I care about.”
He continued by emphasizing what the night meant to him personally.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll look in the mirror and see the man who retired AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble,” GUNTHER stated.
Then came the line that set the wrestling world buzzing.
“I wanted AJ Styles to tap out. I wanted to win the Royal Rumble,” he said. “Neither of those fully happened—but I did make AJ Styles pass out.”
With that victory, Styles joins an elite and controversial list alongside John Cena and Goldberg—WWE legends whose in-ring careers came to an end at the hands of GUNTHER.
Whether this truly marks the final chapter of AJ Styles’ storied career remains to be seen, but one thing is undeniable: GUNTHER just added another historic—and ruthless—moment to his legacy.
