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Former WWE Champion AJ Styles will return to SmackDown this Friday night after three and a half months out. The Phenomenal One last competed at Clash at the Castle, where he lost an I Quit match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
It is unclear what AJ Styles will do when he returns to the blue brand this week, but he could announce his retirement from WWE. The veteran has already teased leaving wrestling for good so he could announce one final feud before retiring.
The former WWE Champion hinted at retirement during his feud with Cody Rhodes. Also, his contract with WWE is set to expire in late 2024 or early 2025.
As reported by Forbes, WWE is in no rush to re-sign the 47-year-old wrestler, even though talks remain ongoing. Without clear direction, though, AJ Styles could decide to move on from the Stamford-based promotion and retire from wrestling after a legendary career.
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With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what Styles does upon his return to SmackDown and who he targets as his final opponent should he announce his retirement.
Why did AJ Styles stay away from SmackDown for four months?
The last time AJ Styles appeared on SmackDown was in early June. Since then, he has been off WWE TV but will appear on the October 4 episode of the blue brand.
It appears that Styles took time off to rest and spend time with his family, as the creative team had no plans for him. Thus, he was written off TV for weeks and only showed up for live events.
The Phenomenal One worked on a few live events in Japan, where he became a fan favorite following his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He was part of the WWE Japan Tour, where he challenged Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship and also faced Naomichi Marufuji on the NOAH Destination Live Event in the summer.
Aside from that, AJ Styles disappeared from WWE, but his return could shed more light on what is next for him as he approaches the end of his contract.
