7-time WWE champion's farewell tour reportedly on hold; unfortunate injury update
WWE veteran was reportedly set to kick off a farewell tour, which is now on hold. According to a new report, two-time World Champion AJ Styles suffered a legit injury on Friday Night SmackDown.
After months of absence, AJ Styles returned to WWE SmackDown and had a match with Carmelo Hayes. During the match, the referee granted Hayes the win as The Phenomenal One got injured. Many believed the injury was part of a storyline. However, that's not true.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), Styles was mad about the incident, and the severity of the injury will be confirmed after the MRI results are out. Moreover, the insider stated the former United States, Intercontinental, Tag Team, and WWE Champion was set to kick off a storyline, which would've been his farewell tour.
The storyline and the tour are currently on hold as the management and AJ Styles are waiting on the MRI result to plan their next move. It'll be interesting to see if and when The Phenomenal One gets cleared for in-ring competition.
AJ Styles hasn't held gold in WWE since 2021
Almost nine years ago, AJ Styles broke the internet when he signed with the promotion and joined the company under Vince McMahon's leadership. After an explosive debut at Royal Rumble, he quickly feuded with Chris Jericho and entered the main event scene.
After failing a few times, he eventually turned heel against John Cena and ended up capturing the WWE Championship from Dean Ambrose (aka Jon Moxley). The reign came to an end in the coming months when he had his third match with The Cenation Leader.
Later, Styles exchanged the United States Championship on three occasions with Kevin Owens before starting a year-long reign as the World Champion on SmackDown.
In the coming years, the number of championships reduced as Styles entered into serious feuds. During the Thunderdome Era, he held his last singles title, the Intercontinental Championship, when he won a tournament.
A year later, he captured the RAW Tag Team Championship from The New Day at WrestleMania 37 alongside Omos. It's been a while since The Phenomenal One held gold, and it'll be interesting to see if the veteran wins a championship during his final run.