Emotional Farewell For Retiring WWE Star In Japan

WWE

There was an emotional celebration and farewell for one WWE star at today’s live event at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

WWE held two shows in Japan today and yesterday, which featured the final matches in Japan of AJ Styles, who is retiring next year.

Yesterday, Styles defeated El Grande Americano and Ivar in a three-way match, while today, he defeated Kofi Kingston in singles action.

At the end of the show today, CM Punk and Shinsuke Nakamura stayed in the ring after their match, with Punk first sharing a message of his own to the fans, saying:

“I wish I could speak fluent Japanese, but I think a lot of you understand English. It is a privilege for me to be able to wrestle in front of what I feel is the greatest wrestling audience in the world, the Japanese wrestling fans.

“It’s a little ironic, when I was a little boy, and I fell in love with pro-wrestling, all I ever wanted to do was go to Japan, and I think a lot of the Japanese wrestlers, they wanted to be American cowboys, they wanted to be Terry Funk.

“So to me, it’s very beautiful that I get to come to Tokyo and I get to share a ring with a legend like Shinsuke Nakamura.”

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He then brought out Styles to join them in the ring, adding:

“You mentioned Asuka, Kairi, Giulia, IYO SKY, all the Japanese superstars that it is my privilege to share a locker room with – there is somebody in the locker room that shares the feelings I have about Japan and the culture and the Japanese wrestling fan.

“And tonight was more than likely the last time he will ever wrestle in Tokyo or in Japan as a whole.

“I would like to bring out ‘The Face That Runs The Place,’ ‘The Phenomenal’ AJ Styles.”

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Styles then joined Punk and Nakamura in the ring with his own message, saying:

“It should be me thanking you (the fans), for everything you’ve done for AJ Styles, so thank you for everything you’ve done for me.

“I don’t know where I would be without you.

“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here in the WWE if it wasn’t for you, coming and wrestling in Japan.”

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Styles then handed Nakamura is phone to translate a message he’d written for the fans in Japanese.

After Nakamura read that message, the rest of the babyfaces in the locker room – Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Bayley, Stephanie Vaquer, Lyra Valkyria, LA Knight, Jey Uso, Ivar, Penta – all came out to celebrate Styles in the ring.

Even the heels on the roster came out to applaud Styles from ringside.

Naomichi Marufuji was also in attendance at the show at shared a hug with Styles from the front row.