Did Shinsuke Nakamura Spoil AJ Styles' Retirement in Deleted IG Post Ahead of WWE Royal Rumble?

WWE Superstar AJ Styles already announced that his legendary wrestling career will come to an end in 2026, but it appears that his retirement could happen much sooner than expected.

After losing to Styles in an instant classic at Saturday Night's Main Event this weekend, Shinsuke Nakamura shared a diary entry on Instagram in which he wrote, "I asked him, 'When are you going to retire?' He answered, 'The Royal Rumble. I've already decided.'" Nakamura has since deleted the post after potentially spoiling Styles' retirement.

Styles' iconic career will be on the line at the Royal Rumble premium live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next Saturday when he faces Gunther in a one-on-one match. Gunther already defeated the legendary John Cena in his retirement match last month, and his victory lap afterward ignited a rivalry against Styles, who seems willing to hang up his wrestling boots with a loss.

Many initially expected that Styles would embark on a retirement tour throughout the year, similar to what Cena did in 2025. However, the 48-year-old made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble, so ending his career at the same event a decade later would be poetic.

While many will be hoping that next week won't be Styles' last time in the ring, fans will have to enjoy watching him for as long as they can, as it's clear that the end is coming soon.