Appearing on the WWE Raw Recap podcast, AJ Styles was quizzed on why he chose to retire at the Royal Rumble instead of three months later at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

Styles did not mince his words and said that WrestleMania “lost its luster a little bit” and retiring at the Rumble was poetic for him since he made his debut on that PLE 10 years prior.

AJ said that last year he was coming back from an injury and thrown into a match for WrestleMania which did not have much build. That match was against Logan Paul.

“WrestleMania, I’m sorry to say, used to be the most prestigious PLE or pay-per-view, whatever you want to call it. But to me, it’s kind of lost its luster a little bit,” Styles explained. “But as far as the Royal Rumble, well that’s special to me. Because that’s where I made my debut. So to be able to end where I started, that’s poetic.”

Styles will still be at WrestleMania weekend this year and will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2026.