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LAS VEGAS – A.J. Styles’ in-ring career came to a close with a loss against Gunther at the Royal Rumble earlier year, marking the end of a “phenomenal” run.
Styles was one of the first pro wrestlers among this generation of stars who created an enormous fan base before he made the jump to WWE. Styles was the main event at Total Nonstop Action (TNA) for a long time ahead of his 2016 debut at the Royal Rumble.
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AJ Styles points to the crowd in celebration of his retirement during Monday Night RAW at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Feb. 23, 2026. (WWE/WWE/Getty Images)
He was a six-time TNA X-Division champion, three-time National Wrestling Alliance world heavyweight champion and two-time TNA world heavyweight champion as well as the company’s first-ever grand slam and triple crown champion. In WWE, Styles was a two-time WWE champion, three-time United States champion, one-time intercontinental champion and two-time world tag team champion.
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, collectively known as the Motor City Machine Guns, got to watch Styles’ career firsthand in TNA. Now with WWE, the duo told Fox News Digital that Styles’ ascent in WWE paved the way for them to eventually jump to the company.
AJ Styles delivers a forearm strike to CM Punk during Monday Night RAW at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 26, 2026. (Michael Marques/WWE)
WWE TO INDUCT BAD NEWS BROWN INTO HALL OF FAME
“To be totally honest with you, to me, it’s the reason I want to go to the Hall of Fame. I’m interested anyway,” Shelley said. “There’s some great inductees – Sid Vicious, Bad News Brown. But AJ is the one that tugs on my heartstrings the most. It’s bittersweet, I think, for me, at least, because he’s been such a big brother to me.
“To see that door close, does let me know the passage of time is real. But AJ deserves it. He really did blaze that trail of wrestlers to come and join WWE in 2016. We showed up almost 10 years later. I don’t know if we would have if he hadn’t killed it.”
Sabin agreed with Shelley.
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin of the Motor City Machine Guns make their entrance during SmackDown at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., on June 13, 2025. (Craig Melvin/WWE)
“He absolutely blazed the path for guys like us to make it here. I mean, he’s amazing, right? AJ Styles has done things no one else has done. He’s been a leader and a role model and it’s awesome to see him get inducted into the Hall of Fame,” he said.
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Styles, Stephanie McMahon, Sycho Sid, Bad News Brown, Dennis Rodman, the tag team duo known as Demolition and Hulk Hogan’s match with Andre the Giant from WrestleMania 3 are included this year.
The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at Dolby Live at Park MGM on Friday night at midnight ET.