- 2 hours ago
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Oh
00:30The following contest is scheduled for one call.
00:47If AJ Styles loses, AJ must retire.
00:53Introducing first, from Vienna, Austria,
00:57weighing at 250 pounds, the Ring General, Gundar!
01:07The man I have called the career killer.
01:13He sent Goldberg into retirement last summer.
01:18He made John Cena give up in Cena's final match of his legendary career.
01:23And tonight, he looks to end the 25-year career of the phenomenal AJ Styles.
01:32Well, Gundar is unquestionably in the year 2026.
01:37Two things.
01:38Number one, the most hated man in wrestling.
01:41Number two, the yardstick.
01:44Bell to bell for this industry.
01:47And it's that last point that makes the threat to the career of AJ so great.
01:54And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.
01:57Made to order.
01:58Always fresh.
01:59Don't miss any of the action.
02:01Get flavor delivered to your door at wingstop.com.
02:05And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:07And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:08And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:09And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:10And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:11And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:12And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:13And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:14And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:15And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:16And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:17And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:18And this match tonight is brought to you by Wingstop.com.
02:19Go, go, go, go!
02:49Go, go, go, go!
03:19Go, go, go, go!
03:26Go, go, go, go!
03:27Go, go, go, go!
03:28Go, go, go, go!
03:29Go, go, go, go!
03:30AJ Styles has made it clear that 2026 is his final year in professional wrestling.
03:38But he wants to go out on his terms.
03:40He'd love to have a year-long retirement tour and face some of his all-time great rivals.
03:45But he was suckered into this match, Wade, by the ring general, Gunther.
03:49Yeah, he was goaded into putting his career on the line against the career killer, which
03:55to me was a huge unforced error.
03:58Sometimes when you think emotionally, you don't think clearly, you think he becomes irrational.
04:05And I understand the pride that AJ has built up throughout his long 25-plus years at the
04:10top, but that pride for me has made him put his career on the line against a guy who conceivably
04:19may not be beatable.
04:21I mean, how long have we been watching Gunther in WWE?
04:24Six, seven years, whatever it is.
04:26I would guess, off the top of my head, maybe five losses in that time.
04:30Could you, could you, uh, have you got the stats to hand?
04:33Actually, six.
04:34Six, okay, well, it's close enough.
04:36It's a handful of losses.
04:37But listen to these numbers.
04:39When he was NXT UK champion, he was champion for 870 days.
04:42When he was Intercontinental champion, Gunther held the title a record 666 days.
04:47And he's a double-time world champion.
04:50And he's only been beat six times in the past couple of years in one-on-one action.
04:55And he may be in the best streak of his career right now.
04:58Yeah, and his last loss, of course, was to world heavyweight champ CM Punk and CM Punk himself.
05:04The great CM Punk said he doesn't feel he beat Gunther, he feels he just survived Gunther.
05:10The referee in this match is Dan Englund.
05:18He refereed many of AJ Styles' matches back when Styles was the, uh, the man who ran TNN.
05:24Will this be the final time we see Styles compete in the ring?
05:34Or will he knock off the ring general and keep his career alive?
05:38Hear that audience suddenly firing up there, willing AJ Styles to victory there.
05:42And very quiet on AJ's entrance because there was a severe sense of dread, of foreboding,
05:48because the consequences of this match are almost too great for this audience to enjoy.
05:54So if you're AJ Styles, what do you have to do to win this match tonight?
05:58Well, you've got to figure out that Gunther simply has no weakness.
06:01Even when you have him in the center of the ring, bang to right and a calf crusher,
06:05as we saw several weeks ago in Dusseldorf, Germany.
06:08He's still not beaten.
06:09Let me interrupt you.
06:10Gunther may have an Achilles heel, so to speak.
06:13He has tapped out on a couple of occasions.
06:16And he tapped out a few weeks ago, as you mentioned, to AJ Styles.
06:19Whether it was a ruse or it wasn't, he was caught in the calf crusher and he did tap.
06:23I'll correct one thing you just said.
06:25You said he has Achilles heels.
06:27I will say he had Achilles heels.
06:29When he's been beaten in the past, he will never be beaten the same way again.
06:33He goes back to the drawing bar and corrects that.
06:35Styles right back to the calf.
06:37Going to be a point of attack as he looks to soften up Gunther to the calf crusher here tonight.
06:42I mean, we will never truly know if Gunther was genuinely tapping out on the aforementioned calf crusher.
06:49Or if it was just a ruse.
06:51So if that is the point of attack, we may find out the truth tonight.
06:55I asked AJ, why?
06:57Why 2026?
06:58I mean, 25 year career, but he's still in the best shape of his life.
07:02He moves great in the ring.
07:03He said, I want people to remember me like this.
07:06I want people to remember me at the top of my game.
07:08I don't want to hang on for a number of years and be a shell of myself.
07:12And you have to applaud that.
07:15Absolutely.
07:16It's noble, but it is high risk against someone like Gunther.
07:19And let me add this to the mix.
07:21What has AJ done over the past seven days?
07:24He's been in absolute wars with Shinsuke Nakamura and CM Punk.
07:30Gunther, nicely rested, been in the gym, worked on his prep, and completely ready to end this career tonight.
07:37AJ's strategy early is the leg of Gunther.
07:41Soften him up for the calf crusher.
07:43Yeah, you're right.
07:44It is going for that leg, soften him up.
07:45That's a physical attack.
07:46But also it's a mental attack on Gunther saying, I know your weakness.
07:50I'm going to get you again.
07:51And then, uh, hit Gunther with his own chops.
07:53And now Gunther with a side headlock wrestling AJ to the mat.
07:57AJ Styles' career began back in 2001 with a handful of tag matches in WCW.
08:03Had a handful of matches in WWE at that point in time as well.
08:08Before he went on to become the megastar at TNA.
08:11Went on to New Japan, became a world champ.
08:13Came to the WWE a decade ago at the Royal Rumble 2016.
08:18Went on to win a couple of WWE championships, United States, and Intercontinental titles.
08:23Yeah, he's a man who's done it all and is certainly not ready for it to end tonight.
08:28Unlike Gunther.
08:29But going back to that, that fake tap out we talked about in that match in Dusseldorf.
08:34What's Gunther always prided himself on?
08:37The match is sacred, right?
08:38But that was the cheapest win of his entire career.
08:41And to Gunther, that was a statement to stumble.
08:44Oh!
08:45Nice dropkick by Styles.
08:46I got a question for you.
08:47Gunther has declared for the Royal Rumble match later tonight.
08:51He's in that match.
08:52Do you think he's looking ahead to that and the opportunity to main event WrestleMania?
08:56And maybe not completely focused on Styles?
08:59I mean, it might be that.
09:01Well, I suspect though it's a simple message being sent to AJ Styles.
09:04I'm so confident that I'm gonna wipe the floor with you in your retirement match.
09:09I'm also gonna go and win the Royal Rumble.
09:12And after a slow start here from Gunther, things have suddenly picked up right in the solar plexus of AJ Styles.
09:21Take another look at this.
09:22The level of impact, first with that shot, and second, the landing, the flip landing of AJ on the floor.
09:29And AJ, AJ struggling to breathe here.
09:32I'm not surprised at this at all.
09:34You wouldn't expect Gunther, and now dropping Styles on the table!
09:38Just smashing our monitors in the process.
09:41That's the point I was making.
09:42I wouldn't expect Gunther to want to count out victory of AJ Styles.
09:45He wants to tap out AJ.
09:47He promised to do that tonight.
09:48And Styles driven in to the ring post.
09:51And I'll tell you right now, I was watching that Irish whip into the ring post.
09:55Normally you try and resist that.
09:56There was no resistance at all from AJ.
09:58AJ's in a bad way here.
10:0025,000 here tonight in Riyadh.
10:10Trying to will on AJ Styles to dig down deep.
10:14But a chop by this Terminator-like.
10:16Gunther drops AJ.
10:18And now Styles ripped into the barricades.
10:25Styles is looking like jelly.
10:29Even in the early goings here as a serious mischief big dog.
10:34To the midsection of AJ Styles who's grabbing that sternum repeatedly.
10:38I'll tell you right now.
10:39Movement is one thing with a cracked sternum.
10:42Breathing is another thing.
10:44Well, hey, here's the problem with Gunther too.
10:46He's relentless.
10:47He has no mercy.
10:49No absence of malice in Gunther.
10:52He just keeps coming at you.
10:55Will not give you a chance to breathe.
10:59And AJ Styles having problems breathing now.
11:01As the ribs went into the barricade.
11:03Well, in here with tactics clearly was Gunther.
11:07And you're right.
11:08He's as callous, as ruthless, and as barbaric as they come when he gets the upper hand.
11:14You know, Wade, I had a sit down interview with him on Raw Monday night.
11:17I was looking into his eyes.
11:19This man relishes the opportunity to end people's careers.
11:23It drives him.
11:25It makes him what he is today.
11:26Yeah, and it adds to the massive aura that this man has built up over the years.
11:31Just crossing off names.
11:34Retiring your favorites.
11:36All of them Hall of Famers.
11:39Well, you notice blood on Gunther.
11:41The official has gloves on.
11:43I wonder if AJ's been busted open.
11:45I can't quite see.
11:46Yeah, there's blood speared on both men here.
11:48It's on the forearm of AJ too.
11:50It's kind of all over the body.
11:51I don't quite know where he's got.
11:52Oh, what a back body drop!
11:54Quite no where that blood...
11:56Oh, there it is.
11:57There's a cut right on that left forearm of AJ Styles.
12:00I think it may have happened when he came down hard on the announce table.
12:03Look at the height in this back body drop.
12:06As Gunther just flings him to the mat.
12:08Well, the obvious damage, of course, is to that left forearm.
12:11I think you're right.
12:12I think you're smashed against our monitor.
12:14But the true story is the sternum of AJ.
12:16Well, Gunther promised that he was going to tap out AJ Styles.
12:19Can he do it with a Boston Crab in the middle of the ring?
12:23Gunther screaming, ask him, ask him.
12:26This has all gone horribly wrong.
12:29We're right from the start for AJ Styles.
12:32And AJ trying to reverse the pressure here.
12:34Onto his back now.
12:36Fighting out of it.
12:37Styles is relentless as they come.
12:40As resilient as anyone in that kick.
12:43Right to the ribs again.
12:44And AJ's having some problems breathing.
12:46Relentless, the word you just used for AJ is similarly true.
12:49Perhaps even more so for this man, Gunther, once he gets the upper hand.
12:55And it's that slow pace, methodical at times, but little wasted motion.
13:01One word Gunther wants to use, and that's punish.
13:05Punish his opponents.
13:07Punish them into submission.
13:09I mean, there are so many strengths to Gunther.
13:14You could write a book about the man, but one of his biggest ones has to be his callous nature.
13:20His mind is a compassion-free zone.
13:23AJ knows it, and AJ building up some momentum here.
13:26And there's no give up in AJ Styles.
13:28Styles now with a kick to Gunther.
13:30Maybe he has Gunther on the ropes a bit here.
13:32Styles now with Gunther up and down.
13:34Waist locked by Gunther.
13:35Missed with a clothesline.
13:36Pele kick by AJ.
13:38AJ blocking out the pain now, and he really needed to get something going,
13:43because this was slipping away in a hurry.
13:45And with it, the career of the Phenomenal One.
13:51This match is for the career of AJ Styles.
13:56AJ must win to continue on in WWE.
14:02If he loses, he goes home.
14:04I'll tell you right now, Cole, you're in the ring against Gunther.
14:07Gunther is a strategic expert.
14:09You need to have all your faculties.
14:11You need a game plan.
14:13It's tough to do that for AJ, with the weight of the world on his shoulders,
14:17knowing what is lurking with a loss.
14:19And looking to take Gunther out of his comfort zone here.
14:24And this is good from AJ.
14:25He needs to pick up the pace, go as fast as possible.
14:28Tough to do with a busted sternum, but he's managing it.
14:31Styles into the corner now, with Gunther up on his shoulders.
14:36Down goes Gunther.
14:37Knee to the neck.
14:38Cover.
14:39Hook to the leg.
14:40Gunther kicks on at two.
14:41So close for Styles.
14:43Well, I mean, you gotta go for broke now if you're AJ Styles,
14:46and he's doing exactly that.
14:48There's nothing to be left on the table tonight.
14:50And that knee to the back of the neck of Gunther may well have changed things in a big way here.
14:55You know the wheels are turning.
14:59The cerebral AJ Styles trying to think a couple of steps ahead here.
15:03What he needs to do to keep Gunther down.
15:06Is he looking for a Styles clash?
15:08But Gunther now.
15:09And there's the roll through by Styles.
15:11Oh, here we go.
15:12Has him in position.
15:13Gunther could be in trouble, but couldn't quite lock it in.
15:15Scorpion kick to the head of AJ Styles to get out of that.
15:18Followed by the old baseball bat like clothesline.
15:21And the cover.
15:22And a near fall.
15:23As old school as they come.
15:25Just a swinging lariat.
15:27Straight away out of the disaster.
15:30The almost befell Gunther there with that attempted Styles clash.
15:33Just old school.
15:35I guarantee you the Hall of Famer JBL with a big smile on his face.
15:39After that lariat like clothesline from the ring general.
15:43Yeah.
15:44As old school as they come as Gunther would thrive in any era.
15:50Going back over a hundred years.
15:52Oh, you think about Stan Hansen.
15:53Gunther's getting right in with me.
15:55AJ looking to roll through into the cap crusher here.
15:57Gunther's felt this before.
15:58Looking to hang on.
15:59Gunther holding onto the top rope to prevent that roll through.
16:02That was really smart.
16:03And it goes back to what I was saying.
16:05He never gets caught the same way twice.
16:07Oh, he's a complete student of the game.
16:09He lives and breathed this sport.
16:12Who's up!
16:17Who's up!
16:18Who's up!
16:19Who's up!
16:20Who's up!
16:21Who's up!
16:22Who's up!
16:23Who's up!
16:24And a slow plow around the ring when he's got AJ down.
16:25That's just Gunther going through his list of ideas and his mind.
16:28His strategies.
16:29He's put through by Styles.
16:30Styles looking for the cap crusher.
16:32and gunther gets to the ropes and aj locking it in he's got a five count
16:39gunther clearly panicked on that one but smartly immediately on the rope
16:43did some damage though you do have that five count as you mentioned to break
16:48yeah but think about the embarrassment for gunther wade if he tapped out to aj styles tonight
16:54it's maybe partly physical partly flashbacks remember that they're remembering the pain of
16:59that matching dusseldorf and the desperate measures that were required to get out of it oh and there
17:05is that dinosaur dropkick from gunther and gunther now lifting styles up
17:14power bomb to aj stacks him up will this be it styles stays in it man you saw that over rotation
17:21attempt from aj at the top of that power bomb trying to get over the other side for a roll throughs
17:27gunther just too strong let's not forget after a low blow of course that power bomb is what finished
17:33off aj in their first match gunther learning a lot about the the guts of aj styles and what has made
17:44him one of the greatest competitors on this planet for the past 25 years here's part of the issue for
17:50aj styles of course he is the veteran we talked about his 25 plus years at the top he's never competed
17:56against anyone quite like gunther so all of that knowledge all that experience you don't have that
18:01much to pull on when you're in there against gunther come on come on what those chops do to you wait
18:09i have never actually taken one and i never intend to but i promise you from talking to the guys in
18:15the locker room a it's the initial sting b is the feeling of fire burning through aj rose through again
18:21he went for the leg looking at the cap pressure now on gunther now they're toward the center of the
18:25ring gunther trying to try to somehow stay in it but styles has got it locked in will gunther tap out
18:33i guarantee you the ref is hyper aware about gunther's tactics here for a tap out if he does try something
18:39smart smart by styles rolling back away from the ropes this is the exact moment gunther tapped out
18:47in the last match is he gonna do it again and a great point the official dan engler putting himself
18:52in perfect position to see what gunther does and now gunther trying to power his way out of this
18:56a sleeper that's a sleeper called a sleeper now locked into styles and now styles trying to hang on
19:02he's got to get back to a vertical base and create space well that was desperation from
19:06gunther he couldn't get the heels hooked in but he has no he has a reversal soldiers are down and it
19:12forces gunther to break and now styles quickly into a sleeper trying to power out there is the big
19:17man gunther who does so and now once again locked in aj in the middle of the ring this is where gunther
19:23is so dangerous once he gets it locked in it's so hard to break but gunther jumped out to the floor
19:29and it buys aj critical time here wow that one just swung back and forth about five or six times in the
19:36space of 30 seconds shows you how dangerous these two men are shows you how deep their forms of
19:42attack can run and styles now with a phenomenal forearm as he launches himself over the top rope to the
19:49floor come on aj it was a bullseye shot from aj unfortunately for aj wrong side of the ropes and
20:00gunther down he might be ko'd he's stirring now but aj needs to get that carcass of the big austrian
20:06back in the ring and finish the job aj gonna send gunther back into the ring styles uh trying to do
20:15what he can to stay in this match styles is completely locked in you feel the pressure has now left him
20:21he's simply in fight mode and fighting freely
20:27and styles go to the top rope took too much time and gunther quickly back to his feet delivering a chop
20:32so difficult to move at your usual speed especially for a pacey guy like aj when you've been beaten to a
20:38pulp by this absolute monster now what does gunther have in mind
20:49trying to turn aj into a superplex aj slips underneath though he's got gunther in trouble
20:55gunther though lands on his feet hooks styles but for the power bomb
21:03styles with one of his own stacks up gunther for the win gunther kicks out just a taste of his own
21:09medicine for gunther and it is a rarity that you see gunther being hit with his own move like that
21:18well that would have been a major shot to the system to the ring general of course the height of aj
21:23not the same as gunther the impact therefore not being quite as great but almost a three count and
21:31almost salvation for the career of aj styles but wait what's important for styles now is this
21:36the matches is deep now and gunther hasn't been able to put him away in fact aj is in control
21:42gunther's got to have that in his head and aj's lining up something big here he takes victory
21:48off the top rope aj styles springboard 450 connects and styles
21:58looking for the styles clash gunther's fighting it but it's lost
22:01styles clashes in come on aj aj into the cover solvers down gunther kicked out oh god
22:09oh god watch this springboard 450 you stack this move immediately with your biggest hitter of them
22:20all over massive frame the styles clash it's over it's one it's two it's not over guys it's never over
22:28against gunther what does that do to you mentally i mean it's a shock to the system to everyone in this
22:35arena everyone watching at home but aj styles thought he was in winner's enclosure he thought
22:42the career was safe it's not what else have you got aj and i would say one tug of that elbow pad
22:49tells us exactly what is coming next gunther slow to his feet aj styles on the apron looking for his
22:56signature move here style is going to launch himself off the top rope went for the phenomenal
23:00forearm caught in the sleeper by gunther aj able to switch into a sleeper of his own and gunther now
23:07grabbing the official wait a minute that was a low blow behind the referee's back he grabbed the
23:12official and delivered a low blow into a power bomb stacks up aj not like this styles kicks out
23:19well the combo that beat aj styles in dusseldorf three weeks ago simply didn't work tonight that damn
23:31dirty gunther grabbed the official to blind the official and then delivered that mule kick to styles
23:38going down low into the power bomb and styles survived well both men at this point at least in their own
23:46minds have had this match won only for their opponents to kick out and keep it alive and gunther is
23:53not responding well gunther screaming at the official said it should have been a three count
23:58aj styles trying to drag himself back to his feet on what could be the final match of his career when
24:05the dirty tricks come out it's because gunther is is in a major desperate desperate but gunther still has
24:12the upper hand aj's reeling and now a chop to styles from gunther
24:26gunther just punishing styles torturing styles now barbarism begins here in riyadh
24:33styles may regret kicking out of that last combo
24:43because it only gets worse from here well the official dan angler trying to show some mercy for
24:47styles there and gunther says the hell with that the gunther's become completely unglued at this point
24:52well he thought he had the three count wade well he's normally in full control
24:55well this could play to aj's advantage if he could somehow climb back into this it's difficult to
25:01say see a way back in so beaten up so tortured at this point
25:11relentless chops after chop after chop
25:14he might get disqualified he's got to be careful gunther gunther's got to be extremely careful
25:23referee may even throw this out aj looks like a there's no way there's no way the official could
25:29do that with everything that's on the line here i get that he has to protect competitors when
25:33competitors cannot fight back
25:51and another one and aj can't even get his hands up styles has been defenseless from these chops he just
25:57collapses into gunther tolerance is great from aj he should have given up a long time
26:03time ago these are as ugly as it comes and we talked about gunther's mind being a compassion free
26:10zone this is why this man is the most dangerous man in professional wrestling take it from me
26:17this man likes no one this man is all about himself doesn't care what he does to his competitors
26:26all he cares about is the win absolutely pitiless and he's willing aj to get up and take more of this
26:33abuse styles back to his feet styles brush it off his chest almost almost like he was calling for
26:39more and here comes styles fighting back with the forearms and a top of his own and styles with a flurry
26:49and aj beating down gunther a taste of his own medicine fighting fire with fire where the hell is aj pulling this from
26:57it's about his career it's about his career everything hangs in the balance weight you have to do everything
27:03you can to win this match aj looked like a dead man walking but there's life still in the phenomenal water
27:10cock in the elbow went with a phenomenal forearm gunther though with aj on his shoulders
27:15aj lands on his feet sleeper he was trying for the pele but gunther caught him in a sleeper well
27:23golf has gone for this sleeper several times he hasn't had the heels locked him up aj in a severely
27:29weakened state is fading and the sleeper hold locked in the arm slipped underneath the chin look at the
27:34positioning of gunther putting all his own weight on top of the frame of aj and aj's now
27:40aj's fading among the hooks the hooks are in now aj styles how much does aj have left can he fight back
27:47here high drama at the rumble lips are turning blue almost they tap out here it is styles fighting back
27:55gunther trying to keep the sleeper locked in
28:00and you gotta wonder was that aj styles last gasp effort well the lights are really faded now cold
28:07aj's gonna tap here there's no way out
28:14aj trying to fight trying to fight his arm's still going trying to still fight out of gunther
28:21delivering those shots now to the leg of gunther aj on his belly but gunther still with that sleeper
28:25locked in even more pressure put on the body of aj as he's desperately trying to suck in some hair
28:31trying to make it to the ropes aj fingertips away can he make it to the ropes to force a break here
28:36and survive so close tantalizing me close to some respite and faded again oh no aj styles
28:44can he make it to the ropes how much does aj have left he's a fingertip away gunther drags him back
28:50drags him back away from the ropes gunther just has all the answers whatever you try he has
28:56a reply for it oh this is getting damn ugly now and now the sweeper really locked in
29:06aj with nowhere to go aj styles how much does aj have left the career the legacy of aj styles fades to black
29:21here's your winner the ring general gunther
29:49the lore of gunther grows the mystique heightened the career killer is indeed just that
30:12what is aj when he woke up i think it's finally dawning on him now he's asking the official what
30:27happened i don't think i've ever heard a crowd as much as this fall so silent in shock and this was just the
30:37a small piece of the absolute brutal warfare that gunther brought tonight and it looked like aj was done
30:46these were the final embers burning in aj desperately trying to get something started and this was the end
30:53here the beginning of the end going for that phenomenal forearm gunther had it scouted
31:00and then straight into this sleeper and it was a long long time in that sleeper aj trying anything and everything
31:07and everything desperately grinding out of there time and again and everything aj dry
31:14came up with something else and finally look at the pain on the referee's face he doesn't want to do this
31:21but he has to it's his job the career's over okay is out you got a feel for the official long time
31:28friend of aj styles you have to feel for the 25 000 here tonight of the millions watching at home
31:34i saw history but rather history you ever want to be a witness
31:41witness
31:47so
31:49so
31:51so
31:53so
32:01so
32:03so
32:05so
32:07so
Comments