PWInsider.com is reporting that WWE and AJ Styles are still locked in conversations over a potential role in the company following his career-ending loss to Gunther at the Royal Rumble.

The website says that when the show was fast approaching and both sides had not reached an agreement yet over a new contract, it was decided to go ahead with the plan of having AJ retire, a plan which Styles originally wanted since it coincided with his 10-year anniversary of his WWE debut.

Styles’ WWE contract is set to expire this month but WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque made it clear he hoped that Styles would remain with WWE, where he could be used as a producer, coach, or anything which he would want to do.

Last year, the former WWE champion made it clear that he was retiring from in-ring competition sometime in 2026, and that came just 31 days into the year.