AJ Types’ retirement wasn’t at all times speculated to occur on the Royal Rumble, because the Phenomenal One simply revealed he was initially going to retire at WrestleMania.
Whereas talking on a WWE vlog on February 20, 2026, Types revealed that the unique plan for his ultimate match was WrestleMania — not the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
“You already know, everyone desires to retire at WrestleMania, proper? It’s the largest present of the 12 months that we do. And I used to be going to do precisely that.”
In accordance with Types, that modified after he returned from a critical harm — one he says ends most careers: “However I had simply come again from an harm that was speculated to retire me — it retires most individuals.” As soon as he felt bodily able to carry out at his standard stage once more, the concept of coming again for less than a brief run simply to retire at WrestleMania didn’t sit proper with him.
“As soon as I acquired healed up and felt snug sufficient working and doing what I wanted to do to be AJ Types once more, it simply didn’t really feel proper to come back again for 2 months simply to retire. That didn’t appear proper.”
As a substitute, Types determined that if he was going to step away, it must be on the identical occasion the place his WWE journey started: “I believed, what higher approach to depart than on the pay-per-view the place you debuted?”
Types debuted in WWE on the 2016 Royal Rumble — and ten years later, his WWE profession got here to an finish by the hands of GUNTHER on the 2026 Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.
In fact, hypothesis continues. Types was lately noticed on the WWE Efficiency Heart on February 18, and SmackDown expertise is being flown in for his marketed February 23 look on RAW in Atlanta. That episode is being promoted as a celebration of his profession, and Bryan Alvarez has reported that one thing vital might be deliberate.
Nonetheless, Types’ newest feedback make one factor very clear: WrestleMania was initially the vacation spot for his retirement — till he selected to shut the loop on the Royal Rumble as an alternative.
Do you suppose AJ Types made the appropriate name retiring at Royal Rumble as an alternative of WrestleMania? Or ought to his ultimate match have occurred on WWE’s greatest stage? Tell us under.
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