AJ Styles retired from in-ring competition, after his loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble back on January 31. WWE held a tribute to Styles during this past Monday’s Raw in Atlanta. Towards the end of the segment, The Undertaker came out to annouce Styles as the newest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.
While appearing on the Talk N Shop, Styles addressed the rumors of WWE possibly inducting him into the Hall of Fame to prevent him from going to AEW:
“Let me give you something to talk about. So, everybody wants to say, ‘Oh! WWE put him [AJ Styles] in the Hall of Fame so that he couldn’t go to AEW.’ Guys, I am retired from wrestling in the ring. Like, that’s all this is. I make my own choices, I make my own decisions. I was ready.“
The Phenomenal One noted that he would still be working with WWE in the future.
“I’m still going to be working with WWE. That’s not going to change. I have these dreams of helping out young talent. If somebody is not ready once they get there, it’s my job to hopefully help them get to that point to where they can do it and they are confident when they step into a WWE ring. Being able to help with that is a blessing.” H/T To F4WOnline.com for the transcription.
