— AJ Styles is currently in his 26th year as an in-ring performer. Over the past several years, he’s openly discussed the idea of retirement, often hinting that the end of his career was approaching.
In a new interview with Tokyo Sports, Styles gave his clearest timeline yet. With WWE set to return to Japan this October — where Styles is advertised to compete — he revealed that he intends to retire within the next year. He said,
“I’m really excited. I think this will probably be my last match in Japan, so I’m really looking forward to it. I plan to retire soon, and I might not come back to Japan before that.”
“I’ll probably be at WrestleMania, but it’s not confirmed yet. The details are still undecided, but I will definitely retire within the next year. I don’t want to show my fans a side of me that isn’t AJ Styles. That’s the main reason. I’ve decided to retire before my body can no longer move.”
“I haven’t decided [what I’ll do] yet, but I think I’ll probably work for WWE. It might be good to help develop young talent into main roster-caliber wrestlers. But I just don’t know yet.”
Styles last competed on the September 8th edition of Monday Night RAW, where he scored a win over El Grande Americano. He’s scheduled to team with Dragon Lee on the September 29th edition of RAW to face off against Los Americanos.
— Adriana Rizzo says she’s optimistic about making her in-ring return in spring 2026. Rizzo has been sidelined since August with a torn ACL and meniscus, and she addressed her recovery in response to a fan’s question on Instagram about when she might be back. She stated,
“Sometime in the spring most likely.”
Her last appearance on NXT TV came earlier this year in a mixed tag team match.
— Shotzi Blackheart recently opened up about her WWE departure, admitting that it was somewhat disappointing. After her contract wasn’t renewed, Blackheart officially left the company in May. Speaking on Saraya’s “Rulebreakers” podcast, the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion reflected on her release and shared her thoughts on the experience.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On if she was expecting to be let go: “Yes and no. I had just came back from an ACL tear. So, coming back from a huge injury and not being on TV for like almost a year, I was kind of not surprised. They’re just like we lasted a year without you, so we’ll just let you go now that your contract is up. In that aspect, I wasn’t realized surprised.”
On why it was disappointing: “I don’t know, I always thought that Hunter really believed in me, so it was a little disappointing. Yeah, I just felt like, dang, they gave up on me.”
On coming back from injury: “I was in such a bad space for a few years with everything that I was going through and I was coming back from injury so much stronger, not just physically but mentally too. I was just ready to kill it coming back and I didn’t even get the opportunity to. So, I felt like they left a lot of meat on the bone, I was coming back on fire and ready to give them me, like the real me. I didn’t get the chance to show it.”
— In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Lola Vice opened up about her upcoming NXT Women’s Championship match against Jacy Jayne at No Mercy 2025 on September 27, while also weighing in on which WWE stars she believes could thrive in MMA.
Vice singled out former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest as someone with the skills and presence to make a successful transition into the cage. She explained,
“I think Damian Priest would actually be a great MMA fighter. He’s a karate guy, he’s a striker. I feel like his background would have translated great into the cage.”
Vice has experience in MMA and holds a professional record of 4-1 with Bellator.
(h/t – Fightful)
