Shinsuke Nakamura may have unintentionally revealed more than he meant to ahead of this weekend's Royal Rumble event.
In a now-deleted Instagram Story, Nakamura referenced a past conversation with AJ Styles, recalling Styles saying, “The Royal Rumble. I’ve already decided,” when asked about his retirement plans. The timing of that post, and its quick removal, immediately raised eyebrows given the stakes of Styles’ upcoming match.
Styles is set to face Gunther at the Royal Rumble with a stipulation that if Styles loses, he retires. That condition is not speculation or rumor — it’s official, as Adam Pearce would say.
Whether intentional or not, Nakamura's post strongly suggests Styles has already accepted what may come next. And in turn, it may have spoiled the outcome of arguably the most intriguing match of Saturday's Premium Live Event.
Did Shinsuke Nakamura just spoil AJ Styles' retirement?
Saturday's match could make perfect sense Gunther’s current trajectory. Over the past year, Gunther has taken on a distinct legend-killer role. He retired Goldberg in July. He followed that by retiring John Cena last month.
Now, just over a month later, he stands across the ring from another generation-defining star. If Gunther defeats Styles, it would further cement his place as the wrestler tasked with closing chapters on WWE’s past stars. It would be yet another feather in his expanding cap.
Many fans expected Styles to embark on a longer retirement tour, similar to Cena’s farewell run in 2025. That approach made sense, especially given Styles’ importance to the company over the past decade.
However, one could argue that retiring at the Rumble would be more impactful. Styles made his WWE debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble. Ending his career at the same event 10 years later would be a fitting full-circle moment.
Nakamura’s deleted post doesn’t explicitly confirm the outcome of Styles vs. Gunther, but it does strongly suggest that WWE and Styles are planning for Saturday's event to be the end of the TNA legend's storied career.
Between the stipulation, Gunther’s recent history, and Styles’ own timeline, the picture already seems fairly clear. If this truly is the end, the Royal Rumble event will mark the closing chapter of one of professional wrestling's most influential careers — a reality many fans have been refusing to accept.
Whether Nakamura meant to say too much or not, the message may already be out there.