Last month, AJ Styles retired from WWE after losing his career-threatening match to GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble. Although Styles had been vocal about hanging up his boots this year, many believed that he could continue to wrestle after retiring from WWE, especially sincehe trademarked his name and logo before his match with GUNTHER.TNA and AEW have been rumored destinations for Styles, with it being expected that he would either return to his roots, or debut for one of the only wrestling companies he's never wrestled for. That said, WWE Hall Of Famer Eric Bischoff believes that AEW will not be a landing spot for Styles, explaining on "83 Weeks" that signing with the Jacksonville-based promotion would strictly be a financial choice."I don't see him going to AEW. I don't think he needs the money. He's done really well in WWE for a long time. I think if AJ decides he's going to continue to wrestle, he's going to follow his heart and his heart is probably in TNA," he explained. "I just don't know what kind of real fun, for lack of any other term, AJ could possibly have in AEW. I could see him doing an independent tour internationally, but he kind of already wrote that off ...going to AEW right now is a money play, which there's nothing wrong with that at all. It's a good financial decision. I just don't know how rewarding it would be to end your career there."Despite Styles having a very successful 10-year run in WWE, Bischoff stated that he'll always view him as a "TNA guy" first, as that's when he initially met"The Phenomenal One" and believes he was the true face of the company.If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "83 Weeks" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
