AJ Styles Opens Up About Emotional Moment With Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms Following WWE Retirement Match

A.J. Styles shared a moment with Shane Helms.

Footage was captured of the aftermath of A.J. Styles’ in-ring career coming to an end after he lost to GUNTHER at the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble Premium Live Event.

He went to a room and began shedding tears. Joining him in the room was WWE producer Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms. Styles talked about the moment while speaking to Chris Van Vliet.

“It got emotional, because when I went back in Gorilla, it seemed like most of our roster was there waiting on me. Abyss pulls me in like a big brother. The way he pulled me in, and everybody’s just kind of there hugging me and stuff like that. It was shortly after that when I was done hugging everybody, freaking really hit me. I knew it was about to happen, so I had to get away from everybody, and I tried. They had a locker room away from everybody else that I’d found that they were storing luggage in, so I was like, I’ll just change it here. It’s quiet, it’s cold, it’s nice. So I was changing there all by myself with the luggage. I kind of got back there. I ran in there, and I thought I closed the door behind me, but apparently it didn’t. It just bounced right wide open. I had to stand there for a second and just gather my thoughts and shed a couple tears because A.J. Styles is no longer wrestling again. That was tough, but it was okay. I just needed Shane Helms being the first one to come in there and he knew what was up. I think he’s been through that somewhat before, kind of gave me a hug. I just needed to get that out, and I needed that hug from Shane, and that was okay. It was emotional. I don’t know how to explain it any more than that.”

Present day, Styles is working behind the scenes with WWE in the I.D. program, and he’s done producing work for EVOLVE.