Report: AJ Styles was “well aware that AEW was willing to make a substantial offer”

As seen during the February 23rd 2026 edition of WWE RAW, The Undertaker announced that AJ Styles will be inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame. In an article posted to substack.com, Justin Barrasso of SI.com noted the following about the retirement of Styles…

“For as much as WWE claims to be blissfully unaware of what is happening in AEW, that isn’t the case. With Styles getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, it severely limits any potential AEW owner Tony Khan had of bringing Styles in for a surprise appearance at the Revolution pay-per-view in March. For AEW, their post-WrestleMania show is Double or Nothing in May–and even that feels too soon for Styles to appear.

That isn’t to imply Styles was looking to wrestle again. He meant what he said about spending time at home with family. But speaking to a few people close to him, Styles was well aware that AEW was willing to make a substantial offer. And it was likely going to be one that wouldn’t cost him much time away from home.”