New AJ Styles Quote on In-Ring Future After WWE Hall of Fame Induction amid AEW Speculation

Despite shutting the door on his in-ring career, AJ Styles made it clear this week that he will continue to lend his talents to WWE in a different capacity.

During an appearance Wednesday on the Talk'n Shop podcast with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Styles announced his intention to work with younger talent to ensure they are ready for the big stage once they get to WWE.

"I'm still going to be working with WWE," Styles said. "That's not going to change. I have these dreams of helping out young talent. If somebody is not ready once they get there, it's my job to hopefully help them get to that point to where they can do it and they are confident when they step into a WWE ring. Being able to help with that is a blessing."

At Royal Rumble last month, the 48-year-old Styles faced Gunther in a career-threatening match and lost, thus ending his in-ring career.

However, The Phenomenal One did not leave his gloves in the middle of the ring, leading to speculation that he would continue wrestling elsewhere such as TNA or even AEW.

Styles largely put an end to that speculation during Monday night's episode of Raw in Atlanta, which doubled as a celebration of his career.

AJ's family was in the front row, and he discussed the importance of now being able to be a full-time father and husband. He also left his vest and gloves in the ring, saying he wanted to do it in his home state of Georgia.

At the conclusion of the segment, The Undertaker made his way to the ring and informed Styles that he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2026 in April.

An elated and emotional Styles embraced his family and celebrated the honor as Raw went off the air.

Based on that moment and Styles' comments on Talk'n Shop, it sounds as though he is going to remain with WWE in a non-wrestling capacity moving forward and offer his expertise in other areas, much like Shawn Michaels has done as the head of NXT.

Given that Styles has nearly 30 years of wrestling experience and is widely regarded as one of the best in-ring performers of all time, he is the perfect person for the job.