Not only is AJ Styles one of the most popular and talented wrestlers in the world, but he has proven himself over and over again by dominating in major companies internationally. Styles is a two-time former WWE Champion, a WWE Grand Slam Champion, a two-time former TNA World Champion, and a two-time former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
For a career as vast as The Phenomenal One's, his final opponents should symbolize his journey. I believe the perfect finale requires three matches, one representing the future of the industry, one being a wrestler Styles has a lot in common with, and one being a wrestler he has a past with.
Here are the three men AJ Styles should face on his way out.
1. Leon Slater
Leon Slater recently became the youngest TNA X-Division Champion in history, and he had an interaction with AJ Styles, who returned to TNA and gave Slater a major endorsement after his victory.
It was a symbolic passing of the torch moment, showing the impact Styles, the inaugural TNA X-Division Champion and eventual face of the company, has had on a wrestler like Slater, a young, top member of the TNA X-Division, with the best years of his career ahead of him. While Styles and Slater were in the ring together, at one point, the TNA fans chanted, "One more match!", and when Styles was interacting with the crowd before leaving the ring, he could be heard saying, "I hope we get that match." Clearly, AJ Styles vs. Leon Slater is a match that Styles wants, and it would be a highlight of Slater's career.
2. Rey Mysterio
AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio are very similar, two respected veterans who achieved main event success and World Championship reigns, with Mysterio being a former WWE Champion, a two-time former World Heavyweight Champion, and a WWE Grand Slam Champion. Styles has excellent high-flying skills, while Mysterio is an iconic figure of lucha libre, a style known for its aerial artistry. The fact that two wrestlers of their levels of status, whose careers overlapped significantly, have only had four singles matches wit each other (three in WWE and one in the UK) is widely considered a significant missed opportunity, especially since Styles and Mysterio have complete respect for each other, and both have spoken highly of the other as a performer. This retirement run will be the last chance for another AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio match.
3. CM Punk
It is well-documented that AJ Styles and CM Punk have had issues with each other that have nothing to do with WWE, so a Styles-Punk match would be of great interest to fans. In June of this year, during a "Triple Threat" match between Styles, Punk, and El Grande Americano, a moment of sportsmanship was shown between Styles and Punk, as they shook hands in the ring. This shows that there is respect between the two of them, and that perhaps the issues have been squashed.
Nonetheless, the flames of interest in a singles match between AJ Styles and CM Punk were ignited many years ago, and it's not going to be satisfied unless it happens before they both retire, which means in Styles' case, before the end of 2026. Although they have had many singles matches with each other in the past (including in ROH, NWA NLW, and IWA MS), a match between the two of them in WWE would be very different. Styles and Punk are not the same people that they were back then. Over 20 years ago, Styles and Punk were two hungry young wrestlers wanting to earn respect, using everything in their movesets to prove a point. Today, AJ Styles and CM Punk are established veterans. A singles match between them would not be about a position on the roster and their place on the card. Instead, it would be about their legacies, on a platform where the spotlight is brighter and the pressure to deliver is greater. A singles encounter in WWE would be more refined and strategic, where every near fall and signature move carries the dramatic finality of a chapter ending, reflecting their standing as main eventers who know how to utilize the grand stage.
AJ Styles' final run demands opponents who reflect his decades of dominance. These three matches, regardless of outcome, would be the final, Phenomenal chapters in one of the greatest careers in professional wrestling history.
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