AJ Styles Confirms WWE Departure, Will Not Sign Another Contract

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was facing an uphill battle when it came to convincing AJ Styles to commit his future to the company, and for a while, it looked like it could lose one of its biggest stars to a rival promotion.

Styles eventually committed his future to WWE despite interest from the newly formed All Elite Wrestling (AEW) who is willing to offer pro-wrestlers contracts on par, if not more lucrative than Vince McMahon’s company. The former SmackDown Live men’s champion, however, has now revealed that his current contract will be his last with the company and probably in pro-wrestling.

The pro-wrestler will celebrate his 42nd birthday June 2 and while Styles may be relatively new in WWE, he is a veteran on the pro-wrestling circuit, having made a name for himself in New Japan wrestling and the indie scene. He admits there is no better place for him to be than WWE and it clearly sounds like he will end his in-ring career with the world’s most popular pro-wrestling promotion.

“I can tell you that this contract that I’ve signed is my last. This is the perfect place for me to be. It’s family-oriented, I have no problem taking my family to the shows. It’s a PG product, which I enjoy. I’m in the best place I can be for my career,” Styles said during an interview with Newsweek recently.

WWE has been facing an exodus in recent months, with many superstars either leaving the company or asking for their release. Dean Ambrose was the biggest casualty, with the former WWE champion walking out when his contract expired in April.

Many superstars like Luke Harper, tag team duo the Revival and even former RAW women’s champion Sasha Banks are said to have requested a release from their contracts but have been flatly denied by WWE. The emergence of AEW as an option to earn lucrative a deal and potentially have a better role has turned a number of heads, but Styles feels the new promotions should stay away from competing with WWE directly and find their own niche.

“As far as the indies and whatnot, I don’t think they should ever be competitive with the WWE. They should compete with themselves to make sure they get better every day because there’s no competition, if you want me to be honest. WWE is globally huge. It’s unbelievable to know how big the WWE is. People don’t understand it,” Styles added.

“If you want to succeed, don’t compete. Be something different, be the alternative. There’s a lot of people that have a good chance, but competition is always a great thing. I hope any company does well so they can be that competition. Competition will always make a better product.”