Ahead of his highly anticipated match against John Cena, AJ Styles has made a major announcement regarding his career. During the Crown Jewel: Perth Kickoff show, The Phenomenal One announced that he would be retiring from in-ring competition in 2026.Styles has talked about hanging up his wrestling boots in several recent interviews. The veteran has had an illustrious career in the world of pro wrestling, honing his craft all over the world. Being his final opponent would be an honor for any wrestler, but if there's one man who needs to step up as the one to retire AJ Styles, it's CM Punk!Now, we could go back over two decades and discuss their brief history in Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action (TNA), but those random encounters are arguably not meaningful enough to warrant CM Punk as AJ Styles' final opponent.The reason why The Best in the World should be The Phenomenal One's final opponent is simply because they are CM Punk and AJ Styles, two of the best professional wrestlers the industry has ever seen. Moreover, despite being veterans, the two haven't had a proper rivalry yet, something that needs to happen before Styles walks away from in-ring competition.And let's be honest, when it comes to non-title rivalries, there are very few who can match The Second City Saint's ability to make them feel meaningful, as seen with his feud with Drew McIntyre last year. If Punk is chosen as Styles' final opponent, one can expect the veterans to pull out all the stops to give fans a memorable rivalry, and in turn, give The Phenomenal One a fitting goodbye.The stars locked horns for the first time in a WWE ring on the June 2 episode of Monday Night RAW, where they competed in a Triple Threat Match, also involving El Grande Americano, to qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. While Americano was able to sneak away with the victory, fans were excited to see Punk and Styles in the same ring.The bout marked their first encounter in over two decades. They last faced each other on October 23, 2004, in IWA Mid-South. Following the match, Punk took to Instagram to send a heartfelt message to AJ Styles.What did CM Punk say about facing AJ Styles after 21 years?Although Punk and Styles had failed to qualify for the Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, The Second City Saint was appreciative of sharing the ring with The Phenomenal One after 21 years.Following the match, CM Punk posted an Instagram Story, sending a heartfelt message to Styles."@ajstylesp1, I've got a lot on my plate right now but I'll always make room for you. Thank you for the boot print on my nose. Let's not wait 21 years for the next time. You're a legend," he wrote.It will be interesting to see if CM Punk and AJ Styles lock horns once again before the latter's retirement.