AJ Styles Names WWE Stars He Hugged Backstage After WWE Royal Rumble Loss To GUNTHER

AJ Styles' final WWE match at this year's Royal Rumble was a somber moment for the fans in attendance, but it was undoubtedly even more emotional for the "Phenomenal One" himself. During an interview on "What's Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon," Styles recalled all the love he received from the locker room after the match.

"I was 'AJ Styles' all the way from the end of the match, all the way 'til I got to the back. First person I hugged was Chris Park – Abyss – and ... Punk and a lot of the other guys. I hugged everybody in there and it was great," he recalled. "And as soon as I walked around to leave, it freaking hit me."

Styles then described being emotional in his locker room, not realizing he didn't shut the door, which then gave Shane Helms a chance to have a moment with him. "He just said 'It's alright, man. You're good, man. You don't have to turn your back, you know?' It meant so much for him to come up and see me," he added.

"And then Xavier [Woods] comes up and [I] probably squeezed him the hardest because he's been – I've known him for so long and seen him do so well," Styles expressed. "It was a special moment. ... I squeezed him hard, you know what I'm saying? He's my guy." Styles then maintained that while he might not see everyone anymore, he hopes to find a way to stay connected.

In his final WWE match, Styles wound up tapping out to GUNTHER, giving the Austrian another retirement to add to his growing collection. Still, with Styles declining to lay his gloves down in the ring, speculation has persisted that he intends to continue wrestling elsewhere, such as AEW or TNA, before fully retiring.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What's Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.