WWE Monday Night RAW took place on Monday, January 26, 2026, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The show served as the go-home RAW ahead of the Royal Rumble, which was set for August 31 in Saudi Arabia.
One of the key segments of the night featured an appearance by AJ Styles, who continued building momentum toward his upcoming Royal Rumble match against Gunther. With the stakes already high, Styles appearance on RAW brought extra attention to a rivalry that had become one of the most important stories heading into the premium live event.
Styles had already spoken publicly about retirement in recent months, and the Royal Rumble match carried a career-defining stipulation: if Styles lost to Gunther, he would be forced to retire from WWE. That looming possibility made his appearance feel like more than just a promo, as fans in Toronto were left wondering if they were watching the beginning of Styles final run.
This weeks WWE RAW opened up with AJ Styles coming out for a promo. He received a warm welcome from Toronto, even though it was freezing outside. Styles welcomed everyone to RAW, and then he brougth up how Gunther thinks he will end his career at the Royal Rumble.
AJ Styles fired back to say that his plan is that hes not leaving WWE at the Royal Rumble. He may retire this year, but he has other people he wants to wrestle. Styles also proclaimed that he wants to be World Champion one more time.
After making his point, Styles said that Gunther is good, but hes not phemomonal. Then CM Punk came out to greet him. Punk didnt like the sound of Styles retiring, because he wants to face Styles in a WWE ring.
AJ Styles said that what CM Punk said was disrespectful. Punk said hes being selfish, if anything. Styles then said that he knows he can beat Gunther and CM Punk. That led CM Punk to say that leaves him in an interesting situation, because if he loses to Gunther, then Styles cant prove he can beat him.
Then AJ Styles said if he can beat CM Punk tonight, and he can survive against Gunther, then hes the #1 contender for the title. Punk said that he won his title on November 1, and he promised to be a fighting champion. That is when he made it a title match in Toronto tonight instead.
When the time finally came for this match, fans in Toronto were more than ready for the match. This was a close battle as fans stayed with the main event match the entire time. They chanted this is awesome during the contest as the fans watched these two shoo-in WWE Hall of Famers go head-to-head.
The match kept going, and CM Punk caught AJ Styles as he tried for a sliding knee on the apron, so Punk hit a GTS on the outside. This didnt end things, as they got back in and AJ hit a Styles Clash for another near fall.
As the two battled in the corner, Finn Balor jumped in the ring and nailed CM Punk with a shotgun dropkick. Balor wasnt happy about getting snubbed from a Royal Rumble match spot. After that, Balor beat Punk all around the ring to put the cherry on top of this situation. He closed things off by nailing a Coup De Gras, and then he taunted the fans before nailing a second and third one to Punks ribs.
We will keep a close eye on AJ Styles at this point, because 2026 will be the end of his legendary in-ring career. Only time will tell what he does this year to cap off his time in the ring, but fans in Toronto wont forget this World Heavyweight Title match any time soon.
Whats your take on AJ Styles retirement run in WWE? Do you think he has another title run left in him? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
