WWE announces AJ Styles retirement celebration — what does it mean?

Less than a month after his retirement match against Gunther, WWE will celebrate AJ Styles on Monday Night RAW next week on Feb. 23, 2026.

The announcement was made during the Feb. 16 edition of RAW. It showed footage of Styles’ early beginnings in his career and then from his entire WWE career, which began in 2016.

We honor @AJStylesOrg NEXT WEEK in Atlanta, Georgia! pic.twitter.com/NLeb1sQPAQ

— WWE (@WWE) February 17, 2026

It concluded by announcing “A Tribute to AJ Styles,” which will take place during the Feb. 23 edition of RAW. That episode is set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia.

Presumably, Styles will appear during the celebration. However, his participation was not confirmed. It’s unknown what this celebration entails.

Is AJ Styles really retired from WWE?

Naturally, the announcement sent fans into a frenzy. Fans now believe that Styles isn’t retired after all, with one saying, “Okay[,] so I don’t think he’s AEW bound[,] guys.”

Another theorized that his retirement is just an “angle.” They believe he will “unretire and face Gunther at WrestleMania” to put an end to their feud.

Either way, fans will have to wait a week to find out what it all means. Styles’ retirement was unceremonious, given that he lost to Gunther by technical submission at the Royal Rumble.

If he is going to retire, it would be fitting for him to address the crowd one last time. If Styles opts to continue his WWE career, this is also a great way to kickstart his next chapter.

The talk of the town has been Styles’ recent retirement. After losing to Gunther during a January 2026 edition of RAW, he put his career on the line over their match at the Royal Rumble. Since he lost, he is retired, but there’s a chance WWE could have him come out of retirement to continue his feud with Gunther.

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