Time is ticking down on AJ Styles’ in-ring career.

The veteran WWE performer had fans talking earlier in September when he cryptically posted on social media with an image of an hourglass with his logo in it while captioning it “time is not up yet”, which many took to mean that he was hinting at retirement. News then emerged that Styles’ current WWE contract was expiring in the early part of 2026 shortly after the Royal Rumble PLE.

Now Styles has shed some more light onto the situation. In an interview with Tokyo Sports, Styles didn’t give an exact date on his retirement but said he has plans to hang up his boots within the year. He also shared that after retirement, he would probably still remain with WWE in a backstage capacity, perhaps as a trainer, but cautioned that nothing was officially decided as of yet.

“I’ll probably be at WrestleMania, but it’s not confirmed yet. Details are undecided, but retiring within the next year is certain. I don’t want to expose the ‘not-AJ-Styles version of myself’ to the fans. That’s the main reason. I decided to retire before my body stops working.”

He added that WWE’s upcoming tour of Japan next month (October 17-18) will probably be the last time he ever wrestles in that country.

“I’m really excited. I think this will probably be my last match in Japan, so I’m really looking forward to it. I plan to retire soon, and I might not come back to Japan before that.”