AJ Styles' retirement speech was not "fake," says WWE Hall of Famer (Exclusive)

AJ Styles recently made it seem like he was about to retire in WWE but swerved to attack Cody Rhodes instead. However, a Hall of Famer talked about how the segment was not fake but just a worked storyline.

The Phenomenal One is currently engaged in a feud with The American Nightmare, which is heading to the two facing each other at Clash at the Castle in an "I Quit" match. Their segment on SmackDown, where AJ pretended to retire, fooled much of the audience into believing that it was legitimate. While it turned out to be a ruse for an attack, WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long does not think it could be called a fake retirement.

Speaking on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine hosted by Mac Davis, Teddy Long stated:

"Let's not use the word fake, I hate that... Whatever they do, it's all a work from beginning to end. Now sometimes things get real, you know, but that just happens, you know what I mean? But everything is basically a work. So what AJ did, that was absolutely fantastic. I liked it and it fooled everybody. That's the main thing. You know that thing got over and it fooled people." [4:08 onwards]

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AJ Styles will announce his actual retirement soon, according to WWE personality Sam Roberts

Sam Roberts believes that although AJ Styles' retirement was simply an angle, he may actually hang up his boots sooner rather than later.

Speaking on the Notsam wrestling podcast, Sam Roberts stated that AJ's match with Cody at WWE Clash at the Castle could set up the former's actual retirement.

"What you could do is have AJ Styles lose and he says I quit and he gets up and shakes Cody's hand. He gets on SmackDown the following Friday, and he says, 'You know, guys, I did everything that I could to get one more chance before I have to call it quits. I really do. I wasn't lying in anything that I said in the blue jacket promo that I gave," Roberts said.