As seen during the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble PLE, AJ Styles lost to Gunther in a career-threatening match. While speaking on his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross addressed the match…
“I was a little underwhelmed after the match with Gunther and AJ. I was a little underwhelmed. I thought it should have been a bigger dog-and-pony show. That’s just me, but that’s how I felt when the match was over.”
“I do think he’s done as a full-timer. If I were him, I’d take my spots and work only when I wanted to, where I wanted to, with who I wanted to. He’s earned that. And the thing about it is, as a promoter, he’s going to make any card that you put him on better. So if you want your big shows to get that one big step up and upgrade, AJ’s your guy. But I don’t see how the hell WWE could risk him getting hurt in somebody else’s ring.”
