WWE News: AJ Styles provides major update on his WWE future
What's the story?
AJ Styles confirmed in March 2019 that he signed a new contract with WWE.
Now, in a wide-ranging interview with Newsweek, the two-time WWE champion has given an update on when we can expect him to step aside from the squared circle.
In case you didn't know…
After an 18-year career which took him from WCW and Impact Wrestling to NJPW and beyond, AJ Styles finally signed with WWE in January 2016 and made an instant impression by entering the Royal Rumble.
“The Phenomenal One” went on to have memorable rivalries in 2016 with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns and John Cena before he defeated Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship.
Since then, Styles has firmly established himself as one of the most impressive WWE Superstars of the decade, both as a character and in-ring talent, while his second reign as WWE champion between November 2017 and November 2018 lasted an incredible 371 days.
In early 2019, speculation mounted that he could potentially leave WWE at the end of his contract. However, the 41-year-old brought an end to those reports by revealing on Twitter that he agreed on a new deal with the company, which will reportedly last until 2024.
The heart of the matter
Asked by Newsweek why he wanted to continue working for WWE, AJ Styles confirmed that he does not plan to wrestle beyond the end of his new contract.
He said,
“I can tell you that this contract that I’ve signed is my last. This is the perfect place for me to be. It’s family-oriented, I have no problem taking my family to the shows. It’s a PG product, which I enjoy. I’m in the best place I can be for my career.”
What's next?
Having moved to Monday Night Raw in the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, AJ Styles lost a Universal Championship match against Seth Rollins at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
The following night on Raw, he slapped Baron Corbin during a backstage segment, which presumably means that the two men will be involved in a rivalry in the coming weeks.