On Stephanie McMahon’s “What’s Your Story?” podcast, footage of Finn Balor paying tribute to AJ Styles was shown, where Balor got emotional. Here’s what The Judgment Day member said:
“I feel so happy for him that he’s able to retire with his health. And AJ, I just want to say congratulations on such an incredible career and from a personal standpoint, I want to say thank you because you’ve always been such a constant source of inspiration for me.
I know we’ve had very similar career paths, I hope you know that I’ve always, always looked up to you. For me, you are the benchmark for what it is to be a professional both inside and outside of the ring. And I’m very grateful that I got the opportunity to share the last 10 years with you here in this company.
And I know we kind of dodged each other a lot on the indies. You were in TNA, I was in Japan. When you came to Japan, I went to NXT. So we missed each other for a long time. But I feel like getting to know you over the last 10 years, both on a personal level and in the ring, and just witnessing how great and phenomenal you really are. I want to say thank you for being AJ Styles.”
You can watch it below:
Finn Balor got emotional while paying tribute to AJ Stylespic.twitter.com/Tz0wjcpPtF
— WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) February 5, 2026
Footage of Roman Reigns paying tribute to AJ Styles was shown as well. Here’s what The Tribal Chief said:
“Hell of a worker. Hell of a teammate. Just an old-a$$ video game brother, and that reflects who he is as a person. I’m just happy I was able to make some art with him when our time came a few years ago.
It would’ve been cool to run it back, do it again, and explore new chapters together because there’s phenomenal chemistry there. Big Allen, have fun and be safe brother, and we’ll see you down the road.”
You can watch it below:
Roman Reigns pays tribute to AJ Stylespic.twitter.com/g0z84u3kXL
— WrestleFeed (@WrestleFeedApp) February 5, 2026
AJ Styles Reveals Why He Didn’t Leave His Gloves In The Ring At Royal Rumble 2026
After losing his career-threatening match to Gunther at Royal Rumble 2026, AJ Styles was forced to retire from WWE. After the match, AJ removed his gloves and was about to place them in the middle of the ring, but he didn’t. He wore them back and posed for the fans.
On the “What’s Your Story?” podcast, Stephanie McMahon asked The Phenomenal One why he didn’t leave his gloves in the ring. Styles replied:
“I don’t know. Never say never, right? That’s the saying. I think everybody’s allowed at least once to come out of retirement. Not saying that I’ll do it anytime soon. I’m just saying that.
I mean, what if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once, right? And you never know. There’ll be a time where the gloves will never go back on, and it may be now, but we’ll see.
I never thought I would want my kids to wrestle. But it’s way different than it’s ever been, and a lot better than it’s ever been when it comes to professional wrestling. It’s done right at this point. So I’d be happy if they wrestle. My second oldest (son), I’m working with him now, so he’s in it.”
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