On January 31, 2026, at WWE’s annual Royal Rumble event, one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation, arguably of all time, the Phenomenal AJ Styles, seemingly retired after a nearly three-decade-long career. While some cling to the hope that AJ’s lose to Gunther in Saudi Arabi is only the end of his WWE career, which began nearly a decade ago at the 2016 Royal Rumble, considering everything Styles has said in interviews, from speaking about regularly waking up in pain, not wanting to wrestle into his fifties, and wanting to spend time with his wife and kids, it’s a fairly safe assumption that this is the end. Styles could always pop up in AEW or TNA (it’s whatever he wants to do), but as of now, those dreams about some more matches with the likes of Samoa Joe and Kenny Omega are just that, dreams. Even though Styles’ career encompasses far more than just his tenure in WWE, to make a list highlighting the best matches from his entire wrestling career would be a lengthy piece. As such, and in honor of one of the most innovative, decorated, and phenomenal professional wrestlers of all time, it’s time to shine a spotlight on ten of the best bouts AJ Styles had in the past decade in WWE.
AJ Styles vs. Gunther – Royal Rumble 2026
Where better to start than where it all ended? With reports about AJ Styles’ contract coming up in early February, fans wondered what would be next for the man who had stated multiple times in the past year that his in-ring career is coming to an end. With John Cena’s retirement fresh in the minds of audiences, Styles decided to face off with Gunther. On the back of retiring both Goldberg and the aforementioned John Cena, Gunther set his sights on AJ Styles. Following a great match on RAW, which Gunther won controversially, Styles demanded a second round, which Gunther agreed to under the condition that Styles put his career on the line. Sure enough, Styles agreed, and the date of their match was set for the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. A decade after Styles made his shocking WWE debut at the 2016 Rumble, he went to war with the ring general in an emotionally charged match that saw Gunther come away victorious after making Styles pass out to the sleeper. It was every bit as good as fans could’ve hoped, with nobody knowing for sure if Styles was going to lose or not. As it would happen, Styles would fall to the “career killer”, wrapping a bow on a 28-year career.
AJ Styles vs. John Cena – Summerslam 2016
If you asked fans who Styles’s greatest opponent in WWE was, many would point to Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect himself, John Cena. While they wrestled only a handful of times, each match was electric, with three in particular being truly special. Their match at Summerslam 2016 was extraordinary for many reasons. For starters, Styles won clean, something that rarely happened against the man who couldn’t be seen. Typically, a new promising star might win one match against Cena, but end up losing the feud and plummet back down on the card. Yet, not only did Styles win their first match at Money in The Bank of that year, a great match in of itself, but he would defeat big match John clean as a whistle on one of WWE’s big four PPVs. Result aside, the match itself is just fantastic. Easily the best match on the whole card, it electrified the crowd from start to finish and established Styles as a main-event player. While most prefer two of their following matches (which will also be on this list), it’s hard to consider their contest at Summerslam 2016 as nothing short of a tour de force.
AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor – TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2017
Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2017 was a truly strange PPV for WWE. After several of their talents, most notably Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt, fell ill, WWE had to improvise. One of those last-minute changes was AJ Styles taking the spot of the aforementioned Wyatt, who was set to face the demon Finn Balor. Aside from acting as a reprieve for what was at the time a fairly middling feud between Wyatt and Balor (to no fault of their own), this was also the first time Balor and Styles would go one-on-one in their wrestling careers. Even if you don’t account for the fact that both men were the leaders of the Bullet Club during arguably its two best eras, this was a match that built itself. Even before the bell rang, the fans were already on their feet, chanting “this is awesome” to the two men. Of course, the match was excellent, with Balor coming away with the clean win, and both men showed respect for each other at the end. Styles’ efforts not only shone in the ring but also reportedly earned a heap of praise from management, as he had traveled a long distance to make the show, leading to him winning his second WWE title shortly after and going to hold the belt for over a year.
AJ Styles vs. Cody Rhodes – Backlash 2024
After “Finishing The Story” in Night Two main event of Wrestlemania XL, it was vital for Cody Rhodes to get off to a strong start after ending Roman Reigns ‘ 1316-day reign as WWE champion. Fresh off a pretty great program with LA Knight, AJ Styles became the number one contender for Cody’s title, with their match set for Backlash in Lyon, France. With the bar already set very high, the two men went out in front of a truly raucous crowd and knocked it out of the park. The match, supported by an awesome crowd reaction, was a sublimely worked wrestling contest that was simple, elegant, and kept fans on the edge of their seats. It was fairly obvious beforehand that Cody was at no risk of losing his championship in his first defense, but that didn’t stop both men from going out there and capping off what ended up being one of WWE’s best PLEs from that year. While their I Quit match at Clash at the Castle several weeks later was also fantastic, it was their bout from Backlash bout that set Cody’s reign on the right track and further cemented Styles as an ageless wonder in the ring.
AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy – Clash of Champions 2020
It’s difficult to really recommend any WWE match from the pandemic era. Even with the Thunderdome, the lack of fans makes many great matches hard to rewatch. While the Boneyard Match against the Undertaker and the IC title bout versus Daniel Bryan on SmackDown were two fantastic contests Styles had in 2020, the nod has to go to the absolutely insane Triple Threat ladder match for the undisputed Intercontinental Championship between Styles, Sami Zayn, and Jeff Hardy at Clash of Champions 2020. Arguably the best WWE main roster match in 2020, full stop, these three guys in front of only the screen crowd in the Thunderdome went off. While Jeff Hardy, even at his age, will always do insane spots, Styles and Zayn both held their own in this clash of carnage and mayhem. Rather than constrain them, WWE let three of its best wrestlers do whatever it took to make the IC title feel like the most important belt in the company. Some of the spots in this match were incredible and utterly death-defying. Even though it was Zayn that came away with the win, both Styles and Hardy should be very proud of what they accomplished. If only it were in front of a live crowd, then it could’ve truly gone down in the annals of WWE history.
AJ Styles vs. John Cena – Crown Jewel 2025
To say John Cena’s retirement was a mixed bag is an understatement. By August 2025, with only a few months left and a handful of dates to go, it seemed like John Cena wouldn’t have one final match with one of his greatest rivals. With Styles feuding with Dominik Mysterio and John Cena involved in a terrible program with Brock Lesnar, things were looking bleak. But just when all hope seemed lost, John Cena and AJ Styles took to social media to push for a final match with each other. Sure, the lack of a substantial story, promos between the two, or really any kind of build was unfortunate, but as Styles said on a preceding RAW, the match built itself. It was going to be hard for the two wrestling legends to top their previous efforts, yet somehow they managed to do so. From the thunderous crowd, Cena’s touching pre-match tribute to Styles, and a match full of homages to their past and present rivals such as Edge, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, Frankie Kazarian, and The Undertaker, Cena and Styles wrestled a masterclass at Crown Jewel: Perth. For Cena, you could very well make the case that it was one of the best matches of his career, and for AJ, it was just another gem to add to his already impressive match catalogue.
AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns – Extreme Rules 2016
In the wake of AJ Styles’ awesome Royal Rumble debut, it took a couple of months for him to really establish himself. After an okay feud with Chris Jericho, Styles’s next opponent was set to be the then-WWE champion Roman Reigns. Fresh off the heels of one of the most universally rejected and middling Wrestlemania main events of all time, Reign’s stock was at an all-time low, with fans firmly against the future tribal chief. Even though it took another four years for Roman to get over with audiences, we saw glimpses of greatness in his brief but superb program with Styles. Following a great match at Payback 2016, Styles and Reigns faced off one more time in an Extreme Rules match at the event of the same name. With the big title on the line, Styles and Reigns put on a classic with both men looking like superstars in the main event scene. While Reigns came away with the win that night, Styles more than proved he belonged in the world title picture and would win the belt from Dean Ambrose a few months later.
AJ Styles vs. Seth Rollins – Money in The Bank 2019
When one talks about some of the worst years in WWE history, many would point to 2019 as a truly deplorable time to be a WWE fan. There were some high points, from Kofi-mania, the introduction of The Fiend, to the first and extremely overdue women’s main event in Wrestlemania history. But throughout the entire year, everything that happened on the main roster was mostly terrible. Especially with the creation of AEW that year, it fell squarely on the backs of NXT to keep fans from falling off the WWE wagon for good. One of the greatest casualties of this year was Seth Rollins. Going into 2019, Rollins was as hot and over as a babyface as someone could be. Yet by the time December rolled around, he was a heel, a turn necessitated by just how poorly WWE handled his world title run. But it certainly got off to a great start, with his match against AJ Styles at Money in the Bank being an absolute tour de force. While their match at Night of Champions in 2023 was also superb, their Money in The Bank bout stands out way more just because of how much it outshone the rest of WWE’s offerings from that year. The outcome was never truly in question, but there were a couple of near-falls that had the audience rising to a fever pitch, including one of the coolest counters into a Styles Clash there has ever been. It’s a must-watch match from an overall awful year for WWE.
AJ Styles vs. John Cena – Royal Rumble 2017
There are many talking points surrounding John Cena and AJ Styles’ 2017 Royal Rumble match, and they’ve been discussed to death. Everyone knows that Cena’s win tied him with Ric Flair for the most world titles recognized in WWE history, with sixteen. How the two men didn’t leave the ring throughout the entire match. That Cena’s reign ultimately only lasted a grand total of two weeks before he dropped the title in the Elimination Chamber to Bray Wyatt. Even with how much wrestling fans gush about this match, it’s still unbelievable just how good it was. There were monumental expectations from fans going into this match. Sure, it lacked the “crowd loves both guys” energy at Crown Jewel 2025 and the sheer shock of Styles getting a clear-cut win from Summerslam 2016, but it more than makes up for that by just being so masterfully worked. At this point, Styles had been in WWE for around a year, and if there were any fans still unsure about how extraordinary he is, this match would silence the scant number of critics who remained. It was everything it needed to be, and while it was a shame to see Style’s first WWE title reign come to an end right before Wrestlemania, it further solidified him as one of John Cena’s greatest opponents.
AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIII
One of AJ Styles’ last matches before joining WWE in 2016 was against then-IWGP Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in one of the greatest bouts of the past decade. By 2018, both men were in the WWE, so it was a no-brainer to run this program back, especially on the biggest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, their months-long feud was rather underwhelming. From their good, but not great, Mania match to how the entire rivalry centered around the two low-blowing each other, it was truly a shame that what should’ve been an epic feud didn’t live up to the hype. Fast forward to January 2026, and with Styles’ retirement just around the corner, the two legends decided to face off one more time at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIII in Quebec, Canada. There were questions about how good this match would be and if it could come close to their classic from New Japan. Sure enough, Styles and Nakamura had as perfect a wrestling contest as you could have. The two men brought their A-game and finally gave WWE fans the chance to see these two face off without the hindrance of 2018 WWE storytelling. It had the crowd in the Bell Centre loud for both guys, who wrestled with pure fire and emotion. By the end, it demonstrated just how great both Styles and Nakamura are, proving that Nakamura could still go with the best of them and further solidifying Styles as one of the greatest of all time.
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