AJ Styles Knew AEW Was Ready With Major Offer Before Hall of Fame Announcement

AJ Styles Knew AEW Was Ready With Major Offer Before Hall of Fame Announcement

AJ Styles was reportedly aware that AEW was prepared to make a significant push to sign him if he chose to continue his career outside WWE.

According to Justin Barrasso of Undisputed, conversations with individuals close to Styles revealed that AEW was willing to present a substantial financial offer. The proposed deal was also expected to include a lighter schedule, allowing Styles to spend more time at home with his family.

Barrasso noted that WWE closely monitors developments in AEW, despite public claims suggesting otherwise. With Styles now set to enter the WWE Hall of Fame during WrestleMania 42 weekend, any possibility of a surprise AEW appearance appears unlikely in the near term. AEW’s upcoming major events include Revolution in March and Double or Nothing in May, but neither currently seems realistic for a Styles appearance.

Barrasso wrote that this does not mean Styles was actively seeking a return elsewhere. Styles has spoken openly about prioritizing family time. However, he understood that AEW owner Tony Khan was willing to make a serious offer if he expressed interest.

Styles officially stepped away from in-ring competition following a loss to Gunther at Royal Rumble 2026. On RAW in his hometown of Atlanta, WWE honored him with a tribute segment. The moment featured appearances from Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Frankie Kazarian, and Abyss. The segment concluded with The Undertaker announcing Styles’ Hall of Fame induction.

Speculation about his future may continue. Paul Levesque has stated he would welcome Styles in a backstage capacity. Styles has also said on What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon that wrestlers often leave the door slightly open for a return. He mentioned that teaming with one of his children, should they pursue wrestling, could be a meaningful reason to compete again.

For now, Styles’ Hall of Fame induction signals that his immediate future remains aligned with WWE.

AJ Styles Knew AEW Was Ready With Major Offer Before Hall of Fame Announcement

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WWE’s Bronson Reed Reportedly Set For Surgery On Torn Biceps

It has not been the best of times for The Vision over the last several months. Though the group added Logan Paul and Austin Theory to the fold, they also saw Seth Rollins get booted from the group after going down with injury, followed by Bron Breakker being sidelined himself a few months later with a serious hernia. The injury bug caught up with the group again this week too, as Bronson Reed suffered a torn bicep during an Elimination Chamber qualifying match, putting him on the shelf as well.

Unfortunately, it appears it’s also going to force Reed to go under the knife. PWInsider reports that Reed was immediately sent to Birmingham, Alabama following “Raw” this week, with the idea that he would get surgery to repair his torn biceps as soon as possible. The travel was fortunately not too long for Reed, as “Raw” took place in Atlanta, Georgia, meaning the Vision member only needed to drive a couple of hours for his evaluation.

It’s unclear whether Reed has had the surgery by now, or if he was merely evaluated upon arriving in Birmingham, with the surgery set to occur later. Regardless, Reed will still have to miss significant time. No date has been set for when Reed can return to the ring, though a biceps injury typically takes between 3 to 9 months to heal, depending on the severity of the tear.

The injury forced WWE to make changes on the fly, as Reed was originally scheduled to win his Elimination Chamber qualifying match against Jey Uso and Original El Grande Americano, thus putting him in the Men’s Chamber match this weekend. In addition, Reed was also penciled in for a match at WrestleMania 42 in April, though it’s unclear who he would’ve been wrestling.

AEW’s Eddie Kingston Pulled From Seminar, Meet & Greet ‘Due To Medical Reasons’

The stars of AEW are currently in Denver, Colorado for this week’s episode of “AEW Dynamite” and the taping of this weekend’s episode of “AEW Collision,” but one man who won’t be involved in those shows is “The Mad King” Eddie Kingston.

Pro Wrestling Junkies took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that Kingston, who was supposed to be doing a meet-and-greet with fans at an event this weekend has had to pull out due to medical reasons. Kingston was also supposed to host a seminar alongside his tag team partner Ortiz, but that has been temporarily postponed as Ortiz has reportedly agreed to go ahead with seminar free of charge if enough people want it to happen. 

Mike Johnson of PWInsider has since confirmed that the reason for Kingston pulling out of all scheduled events for this week is due to the former ROH World Champion suffering from severe migraine headaches, and will be focusing on his health for the immediate future. Pro Wrestling Junkie have offered a full refund to those who had bought tickets for the meet-and-greet. 

Kingston has been back in AEW for just over five months at the time of writing after missing 16 months of action due to a serious knee injury. He returned on the Zero Hour portion of the 2025 AEW All Out pay-per-view where he beat Big Bill, before forming a short-lived team with Hook. However, when Hook re-joined The Opps at Full Gear 2025, Kingston ended up challenging Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship on the Winter is Coming edition of “Dynamite” in a losing effort. Since then, Kingston has reunited with Ortiz, who had also missed over a year of action due to injury, and feuded with the Grizzled Young Veterans. That rivalry came to a violent end on the February 7 episode of “Collision” where Kingston, Ortiz, and The Rascalz defeated the Grizzled Young Veterans, Bryan Keith, and the aforementioned Big Bill in a Parking Lot Fight.

Stephanie Vaquer Comments On Partner Myles Borne Winning WWE NXT North American Title

Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer offered congratulations to her partner, Myles Borne, on social media on Wednesday after his huge victory and title win on Tuesday’s edition of “WWE NXT.” Borne defeated Ethan Page, just ahead of Page becoming the longest-reigning North American Champion in history, to win his first title in WWE.

Vaquer took to her Instagram story to share a photo of Borne, smiling with the championship slung over his shoulder. “La Primera” penned a sweet message to go alongside the snapshot.

“I’m so proud of you, because I truly know how hard you work day after day,” she wrote. “You deserve this and so much more.”

The pair began dating when Vaquer was still at the WWE Performance Center. She was officially called up to the main roster in May following her NXT Women’s Championship loss to Jacy Jayne in the days prior to the announcement. Vaquer and Borne will sometimes share their love in posts to social media, like when Borne posted a photo of them with a caption congratulating Vaquer on her Women’s World Championship victory. But more often than not, the couple chooses to keep their private life quiet.

Borne began training with WWE at the PC in March 2022 and made his in-ring debut on a June episode of “WWE NXT Level Up” that year. He started working on “NXT” as a member of No Quarter Catch Crew alongside Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey, and Damon Kemp in September 2023. Prior to his feud with Page over the North American Championship, Borne won a 25-man battle royal in May 2025 for the opportunity to challenge then-NXT Champion Oba Femi, but lost at Battleground.

Drew McIntyre On His WWE WrestleMania 42 Opponent: ‘Anybody But Cody Rhodes’

Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s opponent for WrestleMania 42 will be determined on Saturday when six men enter the Elimination Chamber. Ahead of the premium live event in Chicago, McIntyre was asked on “Busted Open Radio” who he wants across from him at the “Showcase of the Immortals.” Out of all six competitors, including Cody Rhodes, Je’Von Evans, Randy Orton, Trick Williams, Jey Uso, and LA Knight, McIntyre has an obvious problem with only one man, who he fought most recently when he won the title in a Three Stages of Hell match.

“Anybody but Cody Rhodes,” McIntyre said. “I’m concerned, considering how the first two matches went and the referees’ bailing him out, and for the cage match, I won, obviously. People were, ‘Oh, it’s because of Jacob.’ Was it, though? …Jacob said it himself, ‘Wasn’t Drew on his way out the cage when I got there?’ I didn’t just overcome Cody. I overcame Cody and Jacob. I can’t get the title back on Cody, where he’s protected again… I liberated this title for everybody, but mostly me, because I believe I’m the man who needs to carry it forward into the future to make ‘SmackDown’ feel the way it feels right now.”

McIntyre said with him as champion, the blue brand feels unpredictable and dangerous, which he explained is the way it should be. Under Rhodes’ title reign, he said “SmackDown” felt like “sunshine and lollipops.” 

With WrestleMania plans reportedly still in flux due to low ticket sales compared to last year, McIntyre could very well find himself in a multi-man match despite the Elimination Chamber’s one winner, if rumors are to be believed.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.