From the WWE rumor mill: AJ Styles' current contract expiration date and retirement plans

What's the story?

It's hard to imagine the WWE without AJ Styles at this point. Even though his run with WWE has been short, he's still had an incredible impact (no pun intended). Styles' recent interview with The Box in Houston gave fans a pretty clear indication he was looking to wrap things up in style soon enough and The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has, even more, information regarding AJ Styles' current WWE contract and when it is set to expire.

In case you didn't know...

AJ Styles recently spoke to The Box in Houston where he gave a pretty clear hint that he was looking to finish up his active career soon enough. Styles has hinted in the past that his goal is to retire by the age of 42, and he's sitting at 40-years-old at this point in his life so it seems to only be a matter of time before the time comes for him to walk away.

The heart of the matter

The latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted AJ Styles' current contract is set to end in early 2019 which would put him at 42 years old when his deal expires. Since The Phenomenal One has already stated he would like to retire soon and flat-out said in "a couple years" he won't have to miss any of his children's activities this would certainly fall in line with his goals.

But Meltzer also notes that aside from a rare case like Shawn Michaels, people usually don't just walk away from the company like that. Randy Orton has been pulled back in a lighter role with an easier schedule, more perks, etc. Therefore the possibility is always there that AJ Styles could get that same deal. But in the end, he's still going to do what he feels is best for his situation.

What's next?

AJ Styles might just retire at 42-years-old like he said. He could take it easy with his family for the rest of his life and only rejoin the pro wrestling community when he wants to for a fan convention or rare appearance at an indy wrestling event.

Of course, he could decide to never wrestle again and buy a couple McDonald's franchises to live out the remainder of his days doing his own thing. After all, he got to WWE taking his own path, so why should he stop doing things his way at this juncture?

Author's take

I would hate to see AJ Styles go because it seems like he's only getting better. But as the sands of time trickle down the hourglass, someone like AJ Styles might be looking forward to a time when he doesn't have to work so hard.