AJ Styles hints at interesting retirement plans
AJ Styles is all set to wrap up his in-ring career in WWE. Beginning in the late-1990s, he established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the world and joined WWE in 2016.
The Phenomenal One has made it clear that he wants WWE to be his last destination, and he has now revealed a potential post-retirement plan.
Styles recently appeared on NXT 2.0, defeating the up-and-coming Grayson Waller in the main event. Once he was done, he "handed" the brand over to LA Knight.
Speaking to the cameras backstage after the show, Styles teased working with the young talent in NXT once his in-ring career is done:
“I gotta admit, I love being down here. I could see myself, when my career is finally over, coming down here and working with some of these young athletes. The men and women here are ready and eager to learn, and I think that’s a positive thing for the WWE going forward,” Styles said. (H/T WrestlingInc)
When asked about returning to NXT 2.0, Styles kept the door open and said, "This is WWE. Never say never."
Styles has appeared on NXT before with former superstars Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, but his latest appearance was acknowledged as his "first" in the brand.
AJ Styles skipped NXT for the main roster in 2016
Back in early-2016, NXT was reaching the pinnacle of its popularity. It was the hottest wrestling brand in the world at one point, attracting all kinds of superstars.
Enjoyed my time at #WWENXT 2.0 greatly. The environment, the talent, and the fans are something special.
Looking forward to seeing some of these Superstars on #WWERaw and #Smackdown and who knows, maybe I’ll be in an @WWENXT ring again! twitter.com/wwe/status/148…
While AJ Styles could have had a run in NXT, he preferred jumping straight onto the main roster - a decision that turned out to be a good one. Styles has proved to be an invaluable superstar on the WWE roster, and six years later, he has become a Grand Slam Champion in the company.
It will be interesting to see Styles make a few more appearances in the former black-and-gold brand, but it's hard to tell when it will happen. Either way, his post-retirement move could be to take a backstage role with the company in some capacity, and NXT 2.0 would be a good fit for him in that regard.