Amazing Red believes the door may not be completely closed on an eventual return to the ring for AJ Styles.
Styles concluded his in-ring career earlier this year when he lost to Gunther at the Royal Rumble in January. The result brought an end to one of the most influential careers of his generation, spanning major promotions around the world and including landmark runs in TNA, NJPW, Ring of Honor, and WWE. Yet, as often happens when a wrestler with Styles’ ability steps away, the possibility of one more match remains a subject that continues to follow him.
Amazing Red, the current TNA X-Division Champion, is among those who can envision Styles wrestling again. Speaking about the idea of potentially being involved in a match that brings Styles back, Red reflected on his own experience returning to action after being encouraged by Will Ospreay.
Red said he agreed with the suggestion that he could be someone capable of tempting Styles out of retirement. He explained that Ospreay’s persistent encouragement played a meaningful role in his own decision to return, and he sees signs that Styles remains connected to the world he left behind.
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“I totally agree with you,” Red said. “I’ve been thinking that also, and the way Will Ospreay took me out of retirement and just kept pushing me and then I kind of came back.”
The comparison is particularly interesting because Red and Styles occupy important places in the history of the X-Division. Both men became defining performers in an era that helped establish TNA’s reputation for fast-paced, athletic, innovative wrestling. While the division was never solely about aerial moves or a specific body type, Red and Styles each helped demonstrate the range of what the X-Division could represent.
For Red, who is now carrying the X-Division Championship, the idea of matching up with Styles has a clear competitive appeal. It would also bring together two names whose contributions helped shape the identity of a division that has remained central to TNA across multiple eras.
Red Sees Styles Still Connected to the Business
Although Styles has finished his in-ring career, Red suggested that a full separation from professional wrestling can be extraordinarily difficult. He pointed to Styles continuing to train, visiting dojos, and supporting his son’s development as signs that wrestling remains part of his life.
“I see AJ training, I see AJ going dojo to dojo,” Red said. “I see him following his son and making sure he’s staying here and there.”
Those observations are not presented as confirmation that Styles is planning a comeback. Red did not say that Styles has agreed to wrestle again, that he has entered discussions for a return, or that a match has been scheduled. Instead, Red’s comments speak to the lingering pull that the industry can have on performers who have spent decades immersed in it.
Styles’ career has been built on that commitment. From his rise in TNA’s early years through his international accomplishments and later WWE success, Styles remained associated with a remarkably high standard of in-ring performance. Stepping away from competition does not necessarily mean abandoning the environment entirely, particularly for someone who still trains and has a personal investment in the next generation of wrestlers.
Red framed retirement in wrestling as something that may require a pause rather than a permanent emotional break. Performers may need time away for physical recovery or mental health, but the connection to the ring can persist long after a final bell.
“I don’t think you can leave wrestling,” Red said. “There’s moments where we have to step away for sure, if it’s a mental break or a physical break, but wrestling is such a hard thing to leave.”
He then used a more colorful comparison to describe the sport’s hold on the people within it, calling wrestling “one of those ex-girlfriends that just don’t leave you alone.” The line captures a sentiment familiar throughout the industry: retirement announcements can be definitive in the moment, but the desire to perform, compete, and create can remain difficult to silence.
A Potential Route Through the Next Generation
Red also floated a possible, if speculative, route toward getting Styles’ attention: involving Styles’ son. As Red noted, Styles has been active in supporting his son’s progress, and that family connection could someday create an unusual pathway toward a confrontation between Red and the retired star.
“If the timing is right for him and maybe I have to go through his son to get to him, who knows?” Red said.
The champion went further, considering the possibility that he could face AJ Styles’ son in a match for the X-Division Championship at some point. Red emphasized how striking that prospect would be, particularly considering the history tied to the title and the division.
There is no indication that such a title match is currently planned. Still, the thought illustrates how wrestling’s generational connections can create compelling possibilities. Amazing Red competing with a member of the Styles family for the X-Division Title would naturally invite discussion of AJ Styles’ own history in TNA, while also giving Red an opportunity to defend the championship against a newer name carrying a major family legacy.
It would not automatically lead to AJ Styles returning to competition. Red acknowledged that any return would depend on the timing being right for Styles himself. That distinction is important. Retirement decisions are personal, and no amount of fan anticipation or peer encouragement can substitute for a wrestler’s own physical condition, motivation, and comfort level.
Still, Red’s comments show why the subject remains compelling. The possibility is not simply based on nostalgia. It is tied to the long-standing relationship between both wrestlers and the type of innovation that made the X-Division a major calling card for TNA.
The X-Division Connection Remains Significant
Amazing Red’s current role as X-Division Champion gives his comments additional weight. The title has historically represented an open-minded approach to professional wrestling, with an emphasis on performers who can deliver dynamic, high-level matches regardless of conventional labels. Red’s history and current championship status make him a fitting figure to discuss the division’s past, present, and potential future.
Styles is inseparable from that larger legacy. His body of work helped make him one of the most respected wrestlers of his era, and his association with TNA remains a major chapter of his career even after his accomplishments elsewhere. A match involving Red and Styles, should it ever happen, would carry significance because it would reconnect two performers who represent the ambition and creativity that helped distinguish the division.
At present, however, that remains an idea rather than an announced bout. Styles retired following his Royal Rumble loss to Gunther in January, and Red’s remarks should be viewed as an expression of hope and competitive interest, not as a report of a formal plan.
Red’s own comeback story helps explain why he is open to imagining it. Having experienced encouragement from Will Ospreay that helped bring him back into the fold, the X-Division Champion understands how a wrestler’s relationship with retirement can evolve. He sees that same possibility around Styles, especially as Styles continues to remain close to training and to his son’s journey.
For now, Amazing Red has the X-Division Championship to defend and an active role in TNA’s present. AJ Styles remains retired from in-ring competition. But Red has made his stance clear: in a profession where the ring has a way of calling people back, he would welcome the chance to be part of a scenario that brings The Phenomenal One back for another match.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.