AJ Styles helped Austin Aries step up in a major way.
Last weekend, the wrestling world said goodbye to the in-ring career of AJ Styles. “The Phenomenal One” passed out to Gunther’s sleeper hold at the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble. As an active competitor, Styles wowed fans with his charisma and mixture of high-flying and technical skills in the ring. According to his former rival Austin Aries, Styles’ overall athleticism was truly a sight to behold. This even motivated Aries to step up his own game.
“Coming up, I got to hang my hat on being the most athletically gifted guy in my area,” Aries told WrestleZone. “That was the thing. Like I always say, I picked the hardest gimmick in wrestling, which is the good wrestler guy. Because that’s the first thing that you start to age out at as you physically start declining. You’re not in your peak anymore.
“If you don’t have anything else you can hang your hat on, that’s a problem,” he continued. “And then I saw this guy, AJ Styles. I went, ‘Well damn. Here’s a way more athletic guy than the athletic guy.’ Even stepping in the ring for the first time with a guy like [Bryan] Danielson, it was good for me. I needed guys that were at my level and above my level to test me and challenge me so I could become better.”
Aries said you can’t outdo what Styles does, so he forced you to find other ways to stand out. Fueled by that, Aries transformed himself into “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived.” Along with the new moniker came a fuzzy punk vest and a “sh*tty” mustache, with Aries opting to sharpen his character and mic work in order to complement his already good in-ring skills.
“I always say don’t always try to be the best, but you’re only the best until somebody better comes along, right? So I was always trying to be different then, or just be great at whatever you do in there. But the best is only the best. There’s a shelf life to that,” he added.
Aries Feels He Has Several Years Left In His Career
In addition to Styles, Aries has seen other former rivals, such as Christopher Daniels and Homicide, hang up their boots recently. Thanks to a refreshing break from the ring, though, Aries says his own retirement is likely years away.
“All those guys have earned the right to hang the boots up if that’s where they’re at mentally, physically. I totally get it,” Aries said. “Taking a couple years off and stepping away was the best thing I did personally. It’s allowed me to come back and realize, like, ‘Oh, I still have some magic dust left in the bag that I like to sprinkle around a little bit.
“I’ve jokingly said as I’ve started to see a lot of my colleagues from that time era start to wind it down or commit to retiring, I’m gonna outlast them all. After some of these performances, I’m like, ‘Man, I think I could do this for another five or even 10 years.’ Maybe not at the same level,” Aries said. “But I can still go out there and put on a great match and a great performance. I can still tell stories. I can still be an intriguing character on the microphone.”
He Also Wants To Give Back To The Next Generation
At age 47, Aries feels that his role in wrestling centers on uplifting the next generation of in-ring talents. As such, he intends to continue giving back in whatever remaining time he has left in his career.
“My role now isn’t trying to build my career,” he said. “Because I’ve had my career and a great career, but it’s also now about trying to help the people that are coming up and help them build their career and be someone that can help raise their game. Teach them while we’re in the ring or behind the scenes. The things to do and the things not to do because I learned the hard way on some things, and I’ve done the right things along the way as well.”
In 2025, Aries resurfaced in Major League Wrestling as a commentator. Months later, he marked his in-ring return for the promotion as well.
READ MORE: Update on AJ Styles’ Future After WWE Retirement — Report
