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- 26-time champion retiring, WWE show canceled? & Rhodes to vacate title?
26-time champion retiring, WWE show canceled? & Rhodes to vacate title?
Inside: Injured stars who may never wrestle again
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John Cena, a 17‑time world champion, five‑time U.S. Champion and four‑time Tag Champion, has confirmed his retirement date. A press release from WWE and NBCUniversal reveals that his final match is scheduled for 13 December 2025 on NBC’s Saturday Night’s Main Event. Fans learned that only about ten appearances remain before Cena bows out, with roughly 115 days left until his farewell
Securing the role of Cena’s final opponent is proving difficult. He has already battled top names such as Cody Rhodes, CM Punk and Randy Orton and is slated to face Logan Paul in Paris before a future bout with Brock Lesnar. Speculation is rife over who will be his ultimate adversary, with Gunther emerging as a favorite among fans.
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 On WWE RAW in Philadelphia, Paul Heyman stirred controversy by remarking that Tommy Dreamer should be “dead,” prompting a strong reaction from the crowd. Dreamer addressed the comment on Busted Open Radio, remarking that the incident made him trend at #3 and quipping that it gave him “15 more seconds of fame”. Dreamer also revisited a dark period when ECW collapsed. He confessed that he once contemplated jumping the barricade at WrestleMania 17, striking Heyman from behind at the announce table and then taking his own life. This revelation underscores how deeply he felt betrayed after ECW’s demise and Heyman’s subsequent move to WWE. |  WWE may not bring back former US Champion for fear of facing heat from CM Punk, according to veteran Dutch Mantell, on his “Story Time” podcast, suggested that WWE may hesitate to re‑sign former U.S. Champion Matt Riddle because he has publicly criticized CM Punk. Riddle recently said Punk wouldn’t be in WWE if he weren’t such a draw, and Mantell argues that bringing Riddle back could create backstage friction and unwanted distractions. Riddle, however, isn’t finished with WWE in spirit. He told TMZ Sports he wants to reunite with Randy Orton to conclude their RK‑Bro storyline and believes fans would be ecstatic to see it. The former champion has found success on the independent circuit as the MLW World Heavyweight Champion and hopes to return, though it’s unclear if Triple H will make that call. |
FROM THE RUMOR MILL
In a major programming shift, WWE will end its arrangement with Peacock and move premium live events (PLEs) to ESPN. ESPN confirmed in a press release that the company is terminating its Peacock deal, which began after Fastlane 2021 and was expected to run until April 2026, ahead of schedule. This decision forms part of several significant announcements under Triple H’s creative leadership
The new broadcasting agreement has been accelerated to 2025: Clash in Paris will be the last PLE on Peacock, and WrestlePalooza will debut on ESPN. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Peacock approved the early end of the contract and splitting WrestleMania and SummerSlam into two nights satisfied the original terms. WrestlePalooza was initially seen as a one‑off special, but ESPN has now secured rights to all PLEs starting this year, signalling a new era and a more commercial global push for WWE
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WWE SmackDown has been intensifying its storytelling since SummerSlam, with the feud between Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre slowly reaching its boiling point. Although the two have yet to square off in the ring, McIntyre’s brutal assault on The American Nightmare a couple of weeks ago made it clear that he is the next challenger for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Following that attack, Rhodes was absent from last week’s SmackDown, sparking speculation about a possible injury. While no official update has been given, McIntyre hinted at the severity of the situation by questioning Cody’s status on-air and suggesting that nobody truly knows when he will return. If these injury rumors are proven true, it could be a massive setback for WWE. In such a scenario, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis might be forced to book Rhodes vs. McIntyre for Clash in Paris or even require Cody to relinquish his championship, creating unexpected twists in the storyline.
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ANALYSIS CORNER
WWE has managed to convince many AEW stars to jump ship. Stars such as Cody Rhodes, Aleister Black, Stephanie Vaquer and many more have proven that they are able to hold their own after making the change.
Rumors are rampant regarding Chris Jericho’s contract with AEW expiring in a few months. The former World Champion hasn’t done much to kill the specualtion of him going back to WWE via his social media posts either.
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