AJ Styles had made it abundantly clear as of late that he intends to retire from the ring sometime in 2026. Per Fightful Select (h/t SI’s The Takedown), his current contract with WWE is set to expire early on in the year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t sign another extension to ensure he can wrap up on a major stage such as WrestleMania or SummerSlam.
There’s any number of opponents he can close out his career against, whether it’s familiar faces or new names he has yet to work with. Some make more sense than others, but CM Punk is all but guaranteed to not be among them.
Their only interactions in WWE came during the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble and a Triple Threat Money in the Bank qualifier on Raw in June. They did have the occasional outing in Ring of Honor two decades ago, but both of them have come so far as performers since then to where a match between them today could be epic.
While the matchup wouldn’t be what it could have been when they were still in their physical prime, it’d still be fun to see them mix it up before Styles hangs up his boots for good. Unless something drastically changes leading into WrestleMania season, however, this isn’t a match WWE has on their radar, despite overwhelming interest from fans.
Understandably, the company might want Styles to share the squared circle with a younger prospect who can actually benefit from beating him in his final match.
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