The Phenomenal AJ Styles is an American professional wrestler who is considered one of the best in-ring performers of the modern wrestling era. Styles began his professional wrestling career in 1988 when he joined NCW (later NWA Wildside). After being in the NCW for a couple of years, he made his debut in WCW as Air Styles, where he was placed in a tag team with Air Paris. After WCW was sold to WWE, Styles turned down WWE’s contract because the move would have interfered with his wife’s college plans.
After rejecting WWE’s offer, he joined TNA for its inaugural show in June 2002. Styles wrestled for 11 years in TNA and became the face of the company. During his time in TNA, he became TNA’s first Grand Slam Champion, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Tag Team Championship, and X-Division Championship.
In 2013, after contract negotiations broke down over a pay cut, Styles officially became a free agent and joined New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2014, where he joined the legendary “Bullet Club”. He quickly became the top star of the company and won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
AJ Styles officially made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, where AJ entered at No. 3. Styles quickly became one of the biggest superstars in the WWE and won the World Championship in his debut year. He went on to have a legendary feud with John Cena, and to this day, this rivalry is still considered one of the best feuds WWE has ever produced. He also faced Undertaker in the “Boneyard Match,” which turned out to be the last wrestling match of the Undertaker’s career.
AJ Styles announced in 2025 that he would be retiring in 2026; however, everyone thought that he would retire in December, but Gunther challenged Styles to put his career on the line at the Royal Rumble in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The match went on for 20+ minutes. Towards the end, Gunther locked AJ in a sleeper hold and refused to let him tap out. AJ eventually passed out, which ended AJ Styles’s WWE in-ring career.
List of AJ Styles’s Grand Slam Championship Wins
AJ Styles is a Grand Slam Champion in the WWE. He has won every championship in the WWE. He won his first World Championship in his debut year, when he faced Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash 2016. Towards the end of the match, Styles delivered a low blow, followed by the Styles Clash, to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.
Styles shockingly won the United Championship by defeating Kevin Owens at a non-televised live event at Madison Square Garden in 2017. After 3 years, in 2020, in a tournament final on SmackDown, he defeated Daniel Bryan to win the Intercontinental Championship. Styles completed his Grand Slam when he won the Raw Tag Team Championship alongside Omos at WrestleMania 37 by defeating The New Day.
A detailed breakdown of AJ Styles’s Grand Slam Championship Wins:
| Championship | Date | Opponent | Event |
| WWE Championship | Sept 11, 2016 | Dean Ambrose | Backlash |
| United States Championship | July 7, 2017 | Kevin Owens | Live Event at MSG |
| Intercontinental Championship | June 12, 2020 | Daniel Bryan | SmackDown Tournament Final |
| Raw Tag Team Championship | April 10, 2021 | The New Day | WrestleMania 37 |
FAQs
Q. Has AJ Styles ever won the World Championship in WWE?
A. Styles has won the World Championship two times in the WWE.
Q. Is AJ Styles really retired?
A. Styles has officially retired from WWE; however, there is no report indicating that he has retired from professional wrestling in general.
Q. Who did AJ Styles face in last WWE match?
A. Styles was defeated by Gunther in his last WWE match.
Q. Why did AJ Styles retire at the Royal Rumble 2026?
A. Styles retired at the Toual Rumble 2026 because it was the 10th anniversary of his debut in the WWE.
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