AJ Styles Returns After Four-Month Injury Absence, Enters WWE Men's Royal Rumble Match

"The Phenomenal One" is back in a WWE ring. Former WWE Champion AJ Styles returned to the company during the men's Royal Rumble match, which he entered at #21. Styles hasn't wrestled in four months, since he appeared to suffered an injury in a "WWE SmackDown" match with Carmelo Hayes back in October. The injury appears to have been legitimate despite early reports that it was part of a storyline. It was reported prior to Saturday's event that WWE was optimistic Styles would be medically cleared in time to participate in the Rumble match.

The 2025 match marked Styles' fifth Royal Rumble, including his WWE debut, when he was a surprise #3 entrant in 2016. He has never won the Rumble, and unfortunately for Styles, that streak continued this year — Styles scored one elimination, tossing last year's WrestleMania 40 opponent, LA Knight, over the top rope, but he himself was thrown over shortly thereafter by Logan Paul; the match was ultimately won by Jey Uso.