WWE News & Rumor Roundup: Chris Jericho could be leaving AEW, Legendary team hints at retirement, John Cena forced to retire?

Welcome to the WWE News & Rumor Roundup for August 23, 2025. Today, we'll cover a report on Chris Jericho possibly leaving AEW, a legendary tag team hinting at retirement, and John Cena possibly being forced to hang up the boots.

Without any further ado, let's get started:

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#5. Is John Cena being forced to retire from WWE in December 2025?

John Cena's retirement run has been the highlight of the year, as he not only won the Undisputed WWE Championship but also had his first heel run in nearly two decades, which lasted for a few months. However, he's set to retire in December 2025, and there's a chance that the retirement isn't voluntary.

In an appearance on Good Morning America, the 17-time world champion stated that while he's doing well physically, his body doesn't have enough left in the tank, which is one of the reasons behind his upcoming retirement from professional wrestling before his 50s.

"You know what, it's not bad. It is time to step away, for sure. I'm noticing all the lights on the dash of like 'check engine, low tire.' It's time to step away. But as we get into this last final run, these last 11 dates, I feel pretty good, pretty much... It is time to go in for maintenance, yes."

The Franchise Player's last match is set to take place in December 2025.

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#4. WWE reshoots an angle between John Cena and Logan Paul

The recent edition of SmackDown took place in Dublin, Ireland, and the original broadcast took place a few hours before the usual time. At the end of the show, Logan Paul came out of nowhere and attacked John Cena with a knockout punch when Cena tried to inquire about Brock Lesnar with Nick Aldis.

However, WWE reshot the angle following the live telecast, and a different version was showcased to the fans who didn't watch it live. In the new version, Paul sneaked up behind Aldis before landing a blow on The Franchise Player ahead of their one-on-one match at Clash in Paris 2025.

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#3. Multi-time WWE Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz hint at retirement

The Hardy Boyz are a legendary tag team in the Stamford-based promotion, and few teams have come close to Matt and Jeff Hardy in terms of tag team wrestling. However, the current TNA World Tag Team Champions recently hinted at retirement following Bound for Glory 2025.

In a conversation with TMZ Sports, Matt spoke about his upcoming match with The Dudley Boyz for the titles and hinted that if they lost to their former rivals, they would reevaluate their careers, which could possibly mean an induction in the TNA or WWE Hall of Fame as a tag team.

"I mean, hypothetically, if that did happen, if we went to Bound for Glory and The Dudley's won the TNA World Tag Team Titles, I think we'll have to take a long hard look in the mirror and kind of judge where we are at. Is it time to ride off into the sunset and do the TNA Hall of Fame, time to do the WWE Hall of Fame? You know, we'll see," Matt said.

It'll be interesting to see what's next for the legendary duo.

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#2. Reason behind WWE splitting up Austin Theory and Grayson Waller - Reports

Tensions were growing between Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, and the company had plans to split them for a while now. Last month, management pulled the trigger and split the duo up, but there was no reason provided for the abrupt split, as Theory was injured and Waller was paired up with The New Day.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), the reason behind the abrupt split was due to Austin Theory's injury. Moreover, management wanted to keep Grayson Waller on television, which is why he was paired with The New Day on WWE RAW.

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#1. Chris Jericho could be heading to WWE in 2026 - Reports

Chris Jericho was one of the key figures in AEW's growth as a wrestling promotion when The Lionheart signed with the company in 2019. The former leader of The Inner Circle hasn't been on television since April 2025, and there's a possibility he's leaving the company.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), there are people within AEW who believe the former AEW World Champion will not return to the promotion and will be heading to WWE as a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble.

The insider stated a similar belief was in the Stamford-based promotion as well, but it's too early to tell, as his current contract with the Jacksonville-based promotion will run out at the end of the year.