Mercedes Martinez retiring at the end of 2026

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01/02/2026

Mercedes Martinez announced last night that she is retiring this year and 2026 is going to be her last year active in the ring.

The former TNA, WWE, and AEW/ROH star has been wrestling for over 25 years and said wrestling gave her everything.

“2026. Different mindset. Different fire. This is my last year as a full-time ACTIVE professional wrestler. No contracts. No agents. No creative. Just me – and everything I’ve earned over 25 damn years in this business,” she wrote in a long post on social media.

She said last year was about going back to the indies and the grind, reminding her exactly who she is.

Martinez noted that she hopes will be able to give back to the business by teaching and helping the next generation of stars.

“So 2026 gets one more year of my body, my heart, and my fight. One more year of scars, sweat, pain, and pride. One more year of showing up and giving everything I’ve got because that’s the only way I’ve ever done this,” she continued.

“I trust the universe to meet me where I’m at – like it always has. Goodbye 2025. One last run,” Martinez concluded.

John Cena thanks everyone for a year he’ll never forget

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/02/2026

John Cena used social media to thank everyone for giving him a memorable 2025.

The never-seen 17 made history last year, clinching his 17th world title and also appeared at 36 televised events in the build up to his final match on December 13.

“Life goes on and we all move onward, as 2026 is here I’ll fondly remember so many moments from 2025,” Cena wrote on X.

“Thanks to ALL fans, co workers, critics and anyone around the world who used their voice to make 2025 a year that I’ll never forget. Omnia Dedi. Pro omnibus gratias ago,” he continued.

Cena lost his final match to Gunther last month in Washington, DC, tapping out for the first time in over two decades.

He remains employed by WWE and has a five-year deal to serve as an ambassador.

Kazarian vs Santana for TNA World title moved to January 15 Impact

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/02/2026

The TNA World title will be defended on the Impact debut on AMC on January 15.

Former champion Mike Santana will get a shot at regaining the gold against champion Frankie Kazarian on what could very well be TNA’s most important night in a very long time.

The match was originally scheduled to take place at the Genesis pay-per-view two days later.

Kazarian successfully defended the title against Bear Bronson on yesterday’s New Year’s Day episode of Impact on AXS TV.

MJF to defend AEW World title at Limitless Wrestling event this month

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/02/2026

The AEW World title will be defended at an independent wrestling event promoted by Limitless Wrestling on Friday, January 16.

Last month, the promotion announced that MJF would be returning but had no idea at the time that he would be bringing an extra accessory with him.

Now, MJF himself revealed that he would be taking on Alec Price.

“Alec Price, you remind me a lot of a young MJF, so I figured what better way than to start the new year than to bring in, the biggest, the grandest prize possible to Limitless Wrestling,” MJF said in a video. “Alec Price, fame comes with a price, will you rise to the occasion?”

The Limitless Rumble event will be held at The Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets are available from Showpass.com starting from $25.

The Jumping Bomb Angels petitioning to be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/02/2026

Former WWF tag team, The Jumping Bomb Angels, put out a social media post saying the their hope is to get into the WWE Hall of Fame.

“Our New Year’s resolution is to gather enough support to get into the WWE Hall of Fame,” they wrote. “Please sign if you have time! Thank you and Happy New Year!!!”

The post also had a link to a petition on Change.org.

The tag team features Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki and the two wrestled for the WWF between 1987 and 1988. They originally made their pro wrestling debut in 1981 for All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling.

They are former WWF Women’s Tag Team champions, holding the titles for 136 days after winning it from The Glamour Girls. The version of the title was deactivated in February 1989 and only had four tag teams in total as champions.

Archive of WWE premium live events available to U.S. subscribers on Netflix

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/02/2026

Netflix has added a lot of WWE premium live events for their United States subscribers, content which was not previously available due to the company’s deal with Peacock, which expired at the stroke of Midnight on January 1.

The whole catalog of the top five PLEs – Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Money In The Bank, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series – are now available to stream on the U.S. Netflix, as well as other PLEs such as WrestlePalooza, Backlash, King Of The Ring, Invasion, Bad Blood, the Saudi PLEs, and many others.

There are no WCW or ECW shows available at the moment so this is by no means a whole move of the old WWE Network to Netflix.

But it’s something more which U.S. subscribers can now access thanks to the expiry of WWE’s deal on Peacock, bringing that access more closer to what the rest of the world can see on Netflix.

Smackdown moves to three hours on USA Network starting tonight

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/02/2026

Starting tonight, Smackdown on USA Network reverts to its three-hour format and will remain as is for the next several months.

The blue brand went to three hours for the first time in January 2025 and stayed as a three-hour broadcast until June when USA Network premiered a new television series in the 10PM time slot.

The same pattern is expected to be followed in 2026, with Smackdown set to spend the first half of the year as a three-hour show.

Also, Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett will return to call the show from tonight, with the Raw and Smackdown commentary teams swapping places.

Tonight’s Smackdown will take place from the Keybank Center in Buffalo, New York. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com starting from $75.25.

Kiera Hogan and Diamante announce engagement

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

AEW/ROH star Diamante and former AEW and TNA star Kiera Hogan announced on social media that they are now engaged.

“Happy New Years,” Diamante wrote on X along with a photo and video of the new bling on her finger. “Walking into 2026,” she added, along with a ring emoji.

Hogan re-posted Diamante’s message and wrote, “Say hello to my fiancé.”

Diamante, 34, and Hogan, 31, have been in a relationship since 2019.

Chris Jericho: free agent or not?

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

It’s January 1, 2026 which means that Chris Jericho is potentially a free agent for the first time in six years.

If he is or is not has not been confirmed yet but all points suggest that Jericho was not re-signing with AEW when his deal came to an end last night.

Jericho’s believed to be heading back to WWE, working limited dates throughout the year. Both the January 5 Raw, which is the one year anniversary on Netflix, and the Royal Rumble have been mentioned as potential return dates.

His X account profile still has the AEW tag although there’s no mention of AEW on his Instagram account.

Jericho recently announced his 2026 Fozzy tour in the United Kingdom, which will keep him away from any potential wrestling dates from February 6 to February 21.

The former multi-time champion never shot down returning to WWE in recent interviews, taking the “wait and see” and “you never know” approach when it came to answering those questions.

In this business, anything is possible, including the scenario where Jericho signs a new AEW deal and stays put.

Luchasaurus out with shoulder injury, to miss several months of action

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

Luchasaurus is going to be sidelined for several months after suffering a shoulder injury according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Wrestling.

He was written off television on last night’s episode of Dynamite following an attack by The Demand, who destroyed his shoulder with the security barricade and a barrage of chair shots.

The 40-year-old has been unlucky as he just returned after one year out in August where he spent days in hospital following a bout with pneumonia and other life-threatening illnesses.

His shoulder injury means that Jack Perry will have to return to singles competition while his Jurassic Express partner recovers.

TKO shares surge 47.07% in 2025

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

TKO stocks closed 2025 at $213.70 yesterday on Wall Street, jumping 2.25% from the close of trading day which saw a dip of 2.41% from the previous closing.

2025 was a very good year for TKO shareholders, which saw its stocks rise from $142.73, a big 47.07% increase from the start of the year, fueled by strong quarter reports, stable outlook, and some new, massive, billion dollar television deals for both WWE and UFC.

The year, which saw TKO shares hit an all-time high of $218.11, ends with the company having a market cap of $40.77 billion.

Jim Ross to do commentary on Dynamite next week in Oklahoma

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

Hall of Famer Jim Ross will be returning at the broadcast booth next week for Dynamite as it goes through his beloved state of Oklahoma.

JR, who had several health issues in 2025 including another bout with cancer, has not called an AEW match since the AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view in August in London.

Ross typically calls a few matches at pay-per-view events and occasionally is brought in for big matches on Dynamite.

He signed a new one-year deal with AEW at the end of August which included fewer working dates for him.

Majority of WWE’s video library disappears from Peacock as deal expires

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

The WWE tab on Peacock has been removed as almost the whole WWE Network library has disappeared from the NBCUniversal-led streaming service.

While some programming remains, like select editions of WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam, and other premium live events, pretty much everything else has been wiped.

Episodes of Smackdown, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and NXT Premium Live Events continue to stream on Peacock for the foreseeable future, but NXT PLEs are set to leave in March of this year as well.

WWE’s deal with Peacock, worth $1 billion over five years at the time, has expired, with WWE looking to find a new place where to host its massive archive. The move spelled the end of the WWE Network in the United States when it happened back in 2021.

It is believed that WWE will be announcing a non-exclusive deal for its archive soon while more content is being uploaded on YouTube.

Collision rating for 12/25/2025

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

Collision on Christmas Day drew 217,000 viewers, down 116,000 viewers from the prior episode. This was one of the least-watched episodes for an AEW show but it was expected considering it fell on the holiday. The show had a 0.04 rating in 18-49, down 0.01 from the previous episode. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)

Maxxine Dupri and Kam Hendrix get married in Naples, Florida

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

Sydney Zmrzel and Anthony Luke, better known to WWE fans as Maxxine Dupri and Kam Hendrix, got married yesterday at the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.

According to People.com, which got the exclusive at the wedding, the ceremony was attended by 180 guests, and as you can imagine, a lot of them were current and former WWE stars who worked with the couple along the years. Among them there were Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Otis, Chelsea Green, Shayna Baszler, Indi Hartwell, Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, Deonna Purrazzo, Matt Cardona, and Steve Maclin. Also in attendance were professional football players Keith Ismael and Ryan Pope, and content creators Chase DeMoor, Gabrielle Moses, Quori-Tyler Bullock, Anna Morris, Jenna Hillman, Rachel Solomon, and Ashley Ippolito.

Zmrzel and Luke met years ago on the Fourth of July at a nightclub in South Lake Tahoe, California. In “a breathtaking surprise,” Luke proposed with a diamond ring from Bay Hill Jewelers on Dec. 23, 2024, in Troncones, Mexico.

Luke proposed to his now-wife in December 2024 while they were in Troncones, Mexico.

“It’s surreal to think we’ve been together nearly seven years and now get to celebrate our marriage with the wedding of our dreams,” Zmrzel told People. “It’s truly euphoric — a feeling of love, gratitude, and excitement for everything ahead.”

After this week is over, it’s back to business for both, as Luke returns to WWE Performance Center where he is under a developmental deal and the reigning WWE Women’s Intercontinental champion has a date with Becky Lynch this coming Monday on Raw.

Willow Nightingale wins the TBS title from Mercedes Mone on Dynamite

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

Willow Nightingale ended 2025 by winning the TBS title from Mercedes Mone, who continued her losing streak and in the process, her collection of titles has started to shrink.

Nightingale and Mone main evented the New Year’s Smash episode of Dynamite last night and defeated the champion with her Doctor Bomb finisher, bringing to a close Mone’s impressive 584-day reign as champion.

Harley Cameron, Orange Cassidy, JetSpeed, and Kris Statlander all came out to celebrate with the new champion as confetti rained down inside the arena.

In a dig at WWE and the John Cena final match complaints, Excalibur said on commentary, “You gotta give people what they want.”

The last image of AEW on television for 2025 was Nightingale, Cameron, and Statlander standing tall in the middle of the ring.

Nightingale is now a double champion, holding both the TBS title and the AEW Women’s Tag Team titles with Cameron.

WWE programming moves to Netflix in Cambodia, France, Belgium, Philippines, and South Korea starting today

By

Colin Vassallo

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01/01/2026

WWE is now available on Netflix for fans residing in Cambodia, France, Belgium, Philippines, and South Korea starting today, January 1, 2026.

The moves comes after WWE’s media rights deal with broadcasters in those countries expired at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2025 and Netflix automatically took over.

All WWE premium live events and weekly television shows as well the catalog that Netflix has for those outside the United States is now available to watch on Netflix for fans in those three countries effective immediately.

Tomorrow’s Smackdown will be the first WWE live show on Netflix for these five countries.

This leaves just Austria, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Switzerland as the only countries which still have active WWE media rights deals with local media partners.

Dynamite preview for 12/31/2025

By

Colin Vassallo

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12/31/2025

The New Year’s Smash Dynamite will air tonight live from the Liberty First Arena in Omaha, Nebraska as AEW ends the year with a bang on TBS and streaming live on HBO Max.

A live New Year’s Eve wrestling show on television has not happened in quite a while and AEW will be looking to proving doubters wrong with their decision to go live on a busy night like this.

Scheduled for tonight so far are Mercedes Mone vs Willow Nightingale for the TBS title, Ricochet vs Jack Perry for the AEW National title, and Jon Moxley vs Josh Alexander in an AEW Continental title eliminator match.

Plus, brand new AEW World champion MJF will be in the house.

NXT rating for 12/23/2025

By

Colin Vassallo

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12/31/2025

The taped episode of NXT last week drew 602,000 viewers, down 5,000 viewers from the prior week. The show had a 0.08 rating in 18-49, which was identical to the previous episode. (Ratings credit: Programming Insider)

WWE Network listed in The Hollywood Reporter’s Biggest Hollywood Bummers of 2025 list

By

Colin Vassallo

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12/31/2025

The Hollywood Reporter included the WWE Network in their Biggest Hollywood Bummers of 2025 list.

The list, compiled by editors Jon Frosch and Julian Sancton, has the WWE entry as “WWE Network, Rest. In. Peaaaace!” and is written by TV Editor at THR, Tony Maglio.

The entry shows how WWE fans had it great when the WWE Network had everything for $9.99 and had it even better when it moved to Peacock for $4.99 with ads or $9.99 with ads…with the rest of the Peacock catalog.

“Well, nowadays it’ll cost fans a lot more to watch their Superstars: Netflix has Raw, ESPN has (most of) the PLEs, Peacock has the others (and SmackDown) — so right there you’re talking like $50/month — or more. The WWE Universe yearns for the good ol’ days,” Maglio wrote.

The Peacock deal is also expiring at the start of 2026 and all WWE content, except for Smackdown, SNME, and NXT PLEs, will disappear from the service.