The career of AJ Styles is one of the best runs that WWE has seen. From debuting in the 2016 Royal Rumble match through his 2026 Royal Rumble match against Gunther, there have been few dull moments. He officially retired from WWE and Monday night was his farewell, but there was a surprise in store for everyone. Let’s take a closer look at discussing exactly what happened.
AJ Styles to be inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame
AJ Styles main-evented the go-home show to WWE Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. He would say he was a man of his word and officially retire from the company, and the locker room would clear out to give him a final salute. After the graphics appeared, the ring went black, and the iconic gong noise would hit to indicate The Undertaker was making his way down to the ring.
Undertaker would come down on his motorcycle and officially announce Styles will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. If you were to look at just his accomplishments in WWE, he would be a Hall of Fame-worthy wrestler, as below are the championships he won:
- WWE Champion (x2)
- WWE United States Champion (x3)
- WWE Intercontinental Champion
- WWE RAW/World Tag Team Champion (x2)
AJ Styles will be joining Stephanie McMahon as the only announced members of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2026 at this point. There will likely be other members of the class as well that will be announced closer to the actual induction date. The WWE Hall of Fame takes place annually during Wrestlemania weekend, with it recently taking place following that week’s episode of SmackDown on Friday night.
In a decade with the company, he was able to do a lot, being able to be one of the few men to become a Grand Slam Champion with the company. While the All Elite Wrestling rumors may have officially died down with this announcement, it will be intriguing to see what he decides to do next. The Phenomenal One will now be enshrined in the history books of World Wrestling Entertainment.
