WWE Rumors on AJ Styles' Retirement, Oba Femi's Push and The Rock's Daughter Ava's Exit

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

AJ Styles Retirement Plans Remain Unclear

After losing to Gunther with his WWE career on the line at the Royal Rumble premium live event on Saturday, AJ Styles initially appeared to be headed toward retirement, but his post-match actions raised some questions about his plans.

Styles took off his iconic gloves and was about to leave them on the ring canvas before putting them back on and acknowledging the fans in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It's unclear if he plans to continue his career outside of WWE, but a report from PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) stated that Styles is not currently scheduled to appear on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.

Styles recently filed trademarks for his ring name and logo, fueling speculation that he could look to explore opportunities outside of WWE. He's previously stated that 2026 will be his final year as an in-ring performer.

However, there's also a chance that Styles could truly be done after his Royal Rumble match. WWE CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque revealed some of the details about how his retirement plans came about during the Royal Rumble post-show.

"We've had a lot of conversations, especially once this all came down," Triple H said (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News). "Obviously, we expected it later in the year, but we talked about it quite a bit. AJ is absolutely one of those people who wants to give back and be a part of this business."

Triple H added that Styles indicated to him that he's ready to call it a career, saying, "In the conversation he had with me, he made it very clear that he was just done with the in-ring part. There's a point in your career where you reach a place and you say, 'I don't want to do this anymore. It's time.'"

Perhaps Styles could look to transition to a backstage role in WWE, and Triple H said the door would be open for him to stick around in any capacity.

"I'm hoping he will contribute, because he's one of the greatest minds in the business," he said. "When you see what Shawn Michaels is doing in NXT, I think that's a path and a career for AJ Styles beyond this period he's in."

Oba Femi's WWE Status Revealed After Royal Rumble

Following his star-making performance in the Men's Royal Rumble match on Saturday, former NXT Champion Oba Femi appears set to make his mark on the main roster.

A recent report from Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) revealed that Oba Femi "will be on main roster programming regularly starting with the Royal Rumble."

After Oba Femi vacated his NXT title last month, a series of vignettes aired over the last few weeks teasing his arrival to the main roster. He made his official debut as the first entrant in the Royal Rumble match.

Despite being the one to kick things off, Oba Femi ran through the competition with five eliminations before getting eliminated by Brock Lesnar. His dominant showing could push him into the main-event scene sooner rather than later.

Oba Femi is undoubtedly a future star, so fans will be excited to see how he adjusts to the competition level on the main roster.

Reason for Ava's Departure from WWE Revealed

Ava's sudden departure from WWE over the weekend caught fans by surprise, but the former NXT general manager reportedly could be following her parents into the entertainment world.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that Ava made the decision to part ways with WWE on her own, as she could take up a job working under her parents, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Dany Garcia.

"I've talked to and heard from several people, and the general thing was just she didn't want to do it anymore. There was no compelling reason," Meltzer said (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News). "It was just one of those things where her parents own a studio, and they thought that she's probably going to end up working there. She doesn't have to do it."

Meltzer added that Ava wasn't on the verge of being let go by WWE, saying, "It was her decision, it's not like they were going to get rid of her or anything like that."

There was some speculation that WWE recently releasing Ava's girlfriend, Tatyanna Dumas, played a part in her decision, but Meltzer didn't fully confirm that.

"One person had contacted me and mentioned Tatyanna Dumas, who is her girlfriend, was cut, which we didn't hear just a couple of weeks ago," he said. "They weren't quite saying that's why she quit, but it was something that people put one and one together that maybe that had something to do with it, maybe it didn't, I don't know."

Ava was in active storylines in NXT, so it will be interesting to see how the brand adjusts without its GM. The 24-year-old will now have the chance to transition into a new phase outside of wrestling.