AJ Styles’ Next Move After WWE Retirement: Will AEW Push for a Signing?

AJ Styles has officially retired from in-ring WWE competition after his Royal Rumble moment, and talk has intensified about a possible jump to AEW. Backstage chatter at AEW Dynamite on Jan. 28 centered on whether the company would pursue Styles, with no offer confirmed as of Feb. 3 but a strong belief among AEW sources that they’d sign him if the opportunity arises. Styles’ longtime ties to AEW and familiarity with Japan fuel ongoing speculation about a wider run, potentially including New Japan. A source close to Styles says the retirement marks a real endpoint for his in-ring career, but his next steps remain unclear and will be his choice, not money. The key question: should AEW make a formal push, or is the Rumble ending best left as his final chapter?