The Phenomenal AJ Styles is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He has been wrestling since 1998, when he made his debut in a local promotion in his home state of Georgia as Mr. Olympia, a masked wrestler, with his beef with El Grande Americano, who cost him the Intercontinental Championship against Dominik Mysterio on this week's RAW in Paris, perhaps a throwback to that.Styles then plied his trade in Ring of Honor, on the indies, and in Mexico, and went on to revolutionize the wrestling business as the franchise player of TNA Wrestling, eventually becoming an exclusively contracted talent with the company. After he departed from TNA, he went to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, setting a new bar for Gaijin wrestlers, becoming IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, and, of course, further establishing the Bullet Club. During this time, he once again began to compete regularly in ROH.When AJ Styles came to WWE, he defied all odds and rose to the top of the mountain, becoming the WWE Champion within his first year with the global juggernaut. His second reign with the title lasted 371 days, the longest one since CM Punk's 434-day reign, and he firmly established himself as the face of SmackDown at this time.He went on to be The Undertaker's final opponent ever, main-eventing Wrestlemania 36 Night One in the process, and the man once regarded as perhaps the greatest wrestler to have never competed in WWE firmly established himself as one of the greatest of all time based on his WWE accolades alone. Naturally, at 48, with almost three decades competing inside the squared circle, adapting to a vast array of wrestling philosophies and styles, the end is nigh for The Phenomenal One. Indications over the past little while lay bare the bitter truth: he may be done as soon as next year.In this article, we will delineate three reasons why AJ Styles may be done with professional wrestling as early as next year.#3. AJ Styles' WWE contract is expiring in a few monthsIt hits hard that AJ Styles may be done with professional wrestling just weeks after John Cena's retirement. His WWE contract expires in February 2026, which is just six months away, having already gotten a one-year extension earlier this year.When signing his last contract, he had made it clear that this would be the last contract he would ever sign as a wrestler with any company. With WrestleMania in April, the most fans can realistically expect would be an extension until The Show of Shows, although WWE is obviously interested in more.Even if AJ Styles does retire as soon as next year, he is not expected to completely move away from professional wrestling. Especially with the new WWE-TNA partnership, there are numerous ways in which Styles could continue to bring value to the wrestling industry with his unparalleled experience and aptitude.#2. AJ Styles' latest Instagram post signaled that time is running outAJ Styles' latest social media post features an hourglass, with his P1 logo turning into formless sand. It is not very cryptic and is quite a straightforward tease, and while it obviously does not provide an update on an exact timeline, it does indicate that Styles is obviously nearing the end of his journey as a pro wrestler and that he is conscious of it. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHopefully, Styles gets a proper retirement run and a chance to put on some stellar matches, which he is undoubtedly more than capable of and probably still will be years from now if he decides to continue wrestling. However, the toll three decades in the business have taken on his body, and how he may be beginning to struggle physically, is something only he and his family can experience.#1. AJ Styles wants to be done with wrestling before he turns 50AJ Styles has reiterated on multiple occasions that he won't be wrestling into his 50s, no matter what. He is already 48 and will turn 49 in June next year. That puts to rest any hopes regarding Styles continuing to wrestle for years. The maximum he could stretch his in-ring career would be till WrestleMania 43, which would also be very unlikely.The likeliest time and place of retirement for Styles seems to be WrestleMania 42 or another premium live event in Lyon or Paris later on in 2026, due to his status as the adopted home country hero in France. After all, "il est vraiment phénoménal... la la la la la!"