Wrestlers Who Should Be AJ Styles’ Final Opponent

AJ Styles shocked the wrestling world ahead of WWE SummerSlam when he admitted that this year might be his final time competing at the event. That instantly had fans speculating about the possibility of Styles retiring from professional wrestling within the next year, which was something many hadn’t considered.

With all of the attention on John Cena and his impending retirement, WWE might be about to say goodbye to another legend in the Phenomenal One. Styles is one of the greatest in-ring talents of all time, and his career deserves a major send-off. That is why WWE will need to carefully determine how his career ends, particularly when it comes to his final opponent.

CM Punk

AJ Styles and CM Punk have some history with each other, but it’s fairly limited. They had a few matches in ROH and on the independent scene, but WWE has the opportunity to deliver the first major storyline between these two men, and having it as a retirement storyline would be a big deal.

Punk has a great ability at drawing emotion from fans, making them invest in everything that he does, and that’s what Styles deserves for his final storyline. A feud between them would guarantee Styles gets a main event finish to his career, and that would grip people.

Punk and Styles would also be capable of putting together a great match, even if they’re both slightly slowing down. This is a match fans are desperate to see on the WWE stage; therefore, delivering it here would be great.

John Cena

The timing of AJ Styles’ retirement plans are currently unknown, but if he is aiming to hang up his boots before the end of this year, then John Cena would be a fitting final opponent. The two men have a long history of animosity against each other, with Cena being one of Styles’ greatest rivals in WWE.

While it would be tricky to replicate the type of match that they previously put together, fans would love to see them compete against each other one last time. It would be easy to create a storyline around them both retiring, and having both men wrap up their careers at the same time would make things unpredictable.

This would need to happen sooner rather than later, but running this back once more would feel like an ideal way to end things for Styles. It would mean the spotlight is truly on him, ensuring that he retires in the biggest way possible.

Trick Williams

One interesting idea that WWE c​​​​​​​ould execute for AJ Styles’ retirement would be to have him return to TNA for his final matc​​​​​​​h. That’s the company where he truly made his name. Therefore, it would be a brilliant moment to see him retire inside the Impact Zone, and given WWE’s relationship with the company, this is now possible.

If WWE wanted to ensure they got a benefit from it, then having a WWE Superstar be his opponent would tick that box, whic​​​​​​​h is where Trick Williams c​​​​​​​omes in. He’s the current TNA World Champion and someone that WWE has high hopes for in the future, so having him be Styles’ final opponent would feel fitting.

Even if the match didn’t happen in TNA, but was for the title on a WWE show, it would provide a full-circle moment for his career that fans would appreciate. After all, a retirement match should be a celebration of his c​​​​​​​areer, and this would tick that box.

Finn Balor

One man with whom AJ Styles has a lot of history is Finn Balor, with their connection dating back to the Bullet Club. Both men were leaders of that ic​​​​​​​onic faction, and having them face each other at the end would be a great throwback.

Styles is already feuding against The Judgment Day, so if he’s going to retire soon, then this would be a fitting way to do things. The story is already unfolding on WWE television, which means Triple H could easily pit these two men against each other.

Even if WWE waits a while to do Balor’s retirement, Balor would still be a great option. They’re two men who have tremendous c​​​​​​​hemistry and would put on a great match, which is what Styles deserves for his retirement.

Bron Breakker

When it comes to major retirement angles, WWE often looks to push a young wrestler to capitalize on the situation. Having a legend put over someone on the way up is always a good decision, as it makes the most out of the retirement, and Bron Breakker would be a logical option.

They’ve worked together before and have good chemistry inside the ring, and that would lead to them having a fantastic match that would end AJ Styles’ career with a bang, which is what he deserves.

Breakker would then be able to use that retirement to potentially push himself even further up the card. It might not be a title, but it would be a notch in his belt that he could brag about and help him move forward.