Fans outraged following Gunther-Styles result at the WWE Royal Rumble
On a night that already made history by holding the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, Gunther created even more lore on Saturday with the result of his match with the legend AJ Styles.
After retiring Goldberg and John Cena in 2025, the now-renowned “Career Killer” challenged Styles to a match at the Rumble following a dispute in their first contest on Monday Night Raw. Gunther would give the veteran a rematch on one of the biggest shows of the year, but he had to put his career on the line.
And following a marathon of a match that saw both men give it their all in the ring, like Cena, Styles passed out to a rear-naked choke hold and saw his WWE career come to an end.
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The moment the match was called, the Riyadh audience went completely silent. It took a few moments for production to even begin Gunther’s victory music, as the camera panned across the crowd to the shocked faces of young children and adults alike.
Online, fans were not quiet with their reactions, upset that one of the greatest wrestlers in history went out before WrestleMania, and even worse, not in the main event of the show.
While it appears to be the end of Styles’ WWE career, there have been murmurs that Saturday’s match might not be his final performance. Styles confirmed he will stop wrestling in 2026, but rumors suggest he could return to where he made a name for himself with TNA Wrestling or explore dream matches in Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling.
With Styles not making it to WrestleMania, his final match at the biggest pro wrestling show of the year will be a loss against Logan Paul at the 41st edition in Las Vegas last April.
