After John Cena Showdown, AJ Styles Hints at WWE Retirement — Is the Phenomenal One Nearing the End?
AJ Styles and John Cena are set for a final showdown at Crown Jewel on October 11, 2025—Cena is down to his last five appearances, and The Phenomenal One has hinted at when he’ll hang up his boots.
John Cena and AJ Styles are doing it one last time. WWE just locked in Cena vs. Styles for Crown Jewel on October 11, 2025, and it is being billed as the final chapter of their rivalry. Cena has five appearances left before he calls it, and Styles… well, he is not far behind.
The match: made on social, made official fast
In classic 2025 fashion, this started with a tweet. Cena asked fans on X if they wanted him to run it back with Styles. The replies blew up. Styles jumped in. A few hours later, Triple H stepped in with the green light and a date: Crown Jewel, Saturday, October 11, streaming on ESPN and Netflix. Quick turnaround, zero fluff.
AJ is mapping his exit too
Styles has been surprisingly candid about retirement lately. In a new interview with Japan's ABEMA, he said he is very close to hanging it up and that WWE's upcoming Japan dates will likely be his last time wrestling there.
'It is probably my last time as a performer going back to Japan... That means I am gonna hang them up. I am not gonna wrestle anymore. Soon, I will retire, and I do not think we will get back to Japan before I retire.'
WWE is running Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on October 17 and 18, right after Crown Jewel, and Styles flat-out said he is excited because it feels like a final lap in front of Japanese fans. He did not give a hard retirement date, but he did give enough clues to do the math.
How long does AJ have left?
Back in March 2025, Styles told Chris Van Vliet he will not wrestle once he hits 50. He was born June 2, 1977, which makes him 48 right now. If he sticks to that line, the absolute latest we would see him wrestle is before June 1, 2027. Realistically? With the Japan comments and his schedule, 2026 is starting to look like a logical endpoint.
He is not dreading it either. Styles said he wants a proper send-off with a story that actually feels like a finish, not just a 'one more match' add-on. He does not have a final opponent in mind yet, but he knows the tone he wants: something that sums up who AJ Styles is.
Inside baseball: the Japan loop and the Undertaker note
The Japan timing is a big tell. Touring there has always meant a lot to Styles, so calling this his last time wrestling in the country is not just a travel note; it is the kind of thing wrestlers say when they have already made peace with the calendar. And for context: Styles faced The Undertaker in the cinematic Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36 in 2020 — the match that ended up being Taker's final bout. AJ knows something about last dances.
Cena respect, Styles Clash, and why this rematch popped up
Earlier this year in Paris, Cena pulled out the Styles Clash on Logan Paul as a nod to his old rival. He even said afterward it was a tribute because he did not think he and Styles would get another go. That made this out-of-nowhere rematch feel even more like a 'we should do this before the window closes' call — which, given Cena's five-match runway and AJ's retirement chatter, is exactly what it is.
What to watch for
- Crown Jewel: John Cena vs. AJ Styles is set for Saturday, October 11, 2025, on ESPN and Netflix, and it is being framed as their last clash.
- AJ in Japan: WWE runs Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan on October 17 and 18; Styles says that is likely his final time wrestling there.
- Retirement timeline: Styles will not wrestle at 50; at 48 now, a 2026 retirement looks very possible if his schedule lines up.
- Final match vision: No chosen opponent yet, but AJ wants a story-driven goodbye that feels definitive.
- Quick build: Cena teased the match on X, Styles replied, Triple H made it official within hours. Internet-era booking at its most efficient.
Last word heading into Crown Jewel
Styles summed it up himself: this came together fast, but he wanted it. He and Cena have a history, they have respect, and they both have the end in sight. One more round makes sense — and if both guys are closing their books, you want a chapter like this near the end.