AJ Styles may have to quit WWE to finally get the respect he deserves

The legendary AJ Styles is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Therefore, it has been hard to witness how he has been utilized on WWE TV over the past few months, especially with The Phenomenal One having under two years left in his in-ring career. And it seems as if Styles has had enough of the mistreatment, too.

On last week's RAW, he cut a worked shoot promo, laying bare his frustrations with the company and a certain man at the back in a cryptic way. With his WWE contract set to expire in February 2026, the company now seems to be tapping into that legitimate point of inquiry to create intrigue as Styles heads into the final chapter of his career. Regardless of whether his WWE tenure is extended, the TNA legend has reiterated on multiple occasions that he won't wrestle past 50, and he is already 48.

So, what if, in storyline, AJ Styles threatens to, or actually does, quit WWE? His frustrations may boil over, and he may even threaten to go elsewhere, such as back home in a certain sense to TNA (WWE's partner promotion) or AAA (now owned by WWE).

Eventually, through one of multiple routes, whether getting to the top of these smaller promotions or through fans clamoring for a return to the main roster, WWE may have no choice but to bring Styles back for one final run, which could extend till whatever time the company and Styles negotiate a contract for.

In this way, WWE will have ironically utilized his underutilization to create organic, unprecedented fan support, while also adding elements of real-life, such as his upcoming contract expiration and his promise not to wrestle past 50, to create a compelling retirement run.

Instead of going the AAA/TNA route, which would make his return obvious due to these promotions' association with WWE, Styles could even announce that he's done with the global juggernaut, simply via social media, and not appear on TV at all over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, WWE and AJ Styles could finalize contract renewal terms and craft retirement run plans. His absence could be the best way to tap into the reality of this fiasco, after he gets frustrated with being an involuntary part of the El Grande Americano universe on RAW.

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Could AJ Styles be in for a Ric Flair-esque retirement run?

Oh, no one is implying that Styles should retire from WWE and go back to TNA and wrestle there before having his final retirement match at an independently produced show. By the way, has Ric Flair finally retired?

No, the retirement in question is The Nature Boy's retirement from in-ring competition in WWE, when he infamously announced, "I will never retire," after coming back from a short hiatus, only for Vince McMahon to declare that the next match he lost would be his last.

AJ Styles is in a similar situation: he is still unbelievable in the ring and a universally respected and adored legend, but with the sheer number of stars in WWE today, he probably does not get the spotlight he deserves. And despite fans maintaining that they can see him perform for years, how his body feels after over two decades in the business is something only he and his closest friends and family know.

Last week, AJ Styles shared that there was someone in the back who did not want him there anymore. Hence, a similar stipulation being applied to him by the mysterious person (who evidently holds great power) could force AJ Styles into retirement, but only when he loses. This could spawn a generational run and an attempt at climbing back to the top of the mountain. Whether the former WWE Champion gets there one more time, though, remains to be seen.