AJ Styles may be headed to the WWE Hall of Fame but behind the scenes, AEW was reportedly ready to open the checkbook. According to Justin Barrasso of Undisputed, Styles was well aware that AEW would have made him a major offer if he decided to wrestle outside of WWE. And it reportedly wouldnt have required much time away from home. Barrasso wrote: He continued by clarifying that Styles wasnt actively shopping himself around but he knew the door was open. Styles officially retired after losing to Gunther at the Royal Rumble 2026. WWE followed that up with an emotional tribute in his hometown of Atlanta on Raw, where Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Frankie Kazarian, and Abyss all appeared. The segment closed with The Undertaker revealing that Styles will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 42 weekend. That Hall of Fame announcement changes the optics significantly. Once a wrestler is publicly embraced at that level, it becomes much harder to envision them popping up elsewhere in the short term especially with Tony Khan reportedly interested in bringing him in for a surprise appearance. Still, the speculation wont disappear overnight. Paul Triple H Levesque has openly stated hed like Styles to remain involved with WWE in some capacity behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Styles himself hasnt completely ruled out one more match. On Stephanie McMahons Whats Your Story? podcast, he admitted that most wrestlers reserve the right to come out of retirement at least once. One scenario he floated? Teaming with one of his children if they choose to pursue professional wrestling. For now, Styles appears content at home and headed toward a Hall of Fame ring. But the fact that AEW was prepared to make a substantial offer proves that even in retirement, The Phenomenal One remains one of the most valuable names in the business. Do you think AJ Styles should stay retired and embrace a WWE Hall of Fame legacy or would you want to see him make one more surprise run somewhere else? Let us know your thoughts below. G Add as a preferred source on Google
