Resolution Criteria

This market resolves YES if AJ Styles loses his career-threatening match against Gunther at the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026, in Saudi Arabia. If he loses, he will be forced to retire. The market resolves NO if Styles wins the match or if the match does not take place as scheduled. Resolution will be determined by official WWE broadcast results.

Background

Styles' current WWE contract expires at the end of 2026, and he has no plans to re-sign. The 48-year-old veteran has publicly acknowledged that he does not plan to wrestle past his 50th birthday. Gunther defeated John Cena in the latter's retirement match at Saturday Night's Main Event XLII on December 13, 2025, and AJ Styles confronted Gunther several times over the following episodes of Raw, and during the Raw on Netflix Anniversary Show on January 5, 2026, Styles slapped Gunther. In their recent Raw match, Gunther walked away with a controversial victory after Styles forced Gunther to tap out, but the referee never saw it, allowing Gunther to recover and steal the win on a technicality.

Considerations

With Gunther carrying unstoppable momentum, WWE is unlikely to halt his run at the Royal Rumble, which sets the stage for Styles to take another loss that could coincide with his retirement. However, even if Styles wins at the Royal Rumble, many insiders speculate that WrestleMania 42 could host his final match, meaning a loss at Royal Rumble is not the only path to retirement in 2026.