“He’ll Get the Itch”: Steve Austin Predicts AJ Styles Will Have One More Match Despite Retirement

Steve Austin doesn’t think AJ Styles is done in the ring — not by a long shot. Appearing on Busted Open in honor of 3:16 Day, Austin praised Styles effusively and made a prediction that fans of the Phenomenal One will want to hear.

“He’ll have one more, he’ll get the itch,” Austin said of Styles, who was recently announced as a member of the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame class following a retirement celebration segment. “One of the best workers ever that I’ve seen. He’s had a phenomenal run. I’m glad he’s going into the Hall of Fame.”

Austin Draws From His Own Experience to Make the Case for Styles’ Future

Austin also reflected on the broader concept of retirement and peak years in professional wrestling, drawing on his own career as a reference point. “I retired at 38. That’s when you really put it all together, mentally and physically. You’re post-prime but your mind — that’s when your mind is at its best because you’ve done so much and you’ve soaked in so much and you can apply it all.” He suggested the same applies to Styles, who is in his late 40s. “He’s young, in a sense. He’s post-prime and he’s gonna get older, but God dang, so many people don’t understand that you really don’t hit your peak years until — what a monster career he’s had.”

Styles’ in-ring career came to an end per stipulation after he fell to GUNTHER at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event. He is remaining with WWE in a behind-the-scenes capacity. Whether Austin’s prediction eventually proves accurate remains to be seen.