Backstage WWE Rumors on John Cena, Drew McIntyre and Bianca Belair
John Cena's retirement tour has engulfed WWE since January and captivated fans of the future Hall of Fame throughout 2025. With both it and his career winding down, there has been plenty of speculation as to what his final two months in the industry as an active competitor may look like.
That topic, specifically the tournament to crown his final opponent, headline this collection of backstage WWE rumors, which also features the latest on Bianca Belair's injury and news on the deal Drew McIntyre signed to stay with WWE last year.
Latest on John Cena's Retirement Tour
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Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the reason WWE did not announce the entire field for the John Cena The Last Time Tournament was that the company has surprises in store and did not want to reveal them yet.
Cena announced the tournament as part of Saturday Night's Main Event on November 1 and Raw general manager revealed Rusev vs. Damian Priest and Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura as its first two matches, beginning this coming Monday night from the Unseen 17's hometown of Boston.
Cena's retirement tour has been the biggest and hottest storyline the company has produced in 2025, so it makes sense that it would want to keep any surprises planned for it as close to the vest as possible.
It will enhance the excitement surrounding the tournament to decide his final opponent while also preserve the must-see element of it.
Cena is one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history and the face of WWE over the last two decades. He has earned the right to go out in the biggest way possible and if that involves surprise participants in the tournament to decide who he shares the ring with on December 13, so be it.
Bianca Belair Injury Update
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Bianca Belair has not completed in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, where she suffered a broken finger in her Triple Threat Match against Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky.
Sean Ross Sapp provided some insight on the injury, answering a fan's question by revealing:
"Well...she was in town for Smackdown last week. I've mentioned this before, but her finger break was one of the worst that you can get. Specifically, the knuckle was affected. People in WWE didn't think it was going to be that bad, because she reacted to it well backstage, but that's just because she's tougher than most."
He continued, "It blew up backstage and people were coming to gawk at it."
Belair has had a consistent presence on WWE television since arriving on the main roster during the pandemic in 2020 and became one of the women's division's biggest stars.
She developed into one of the workhorses of the women's division and established herself as one of the best performers on the roster in rivalries with Becky Lynch, Asuka, Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and the aforementioned Sky and Ripley.
While things are better with her around, it is a perfect opportunity for her to take time, heal up, and rejuvenate herself with the current division brimming with talent and several ongoing feuds away from championships.
She will be back when she is healthy, hopefully in time for the road to WrestleMania 42, and should be right back in title contention. Whether she does so as a babyface or continues to hint at the heel turn that appeared to be coming entering last year's Showcase of the Immortals, is the question.
Drew McIntyre Contract Update
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In response to a public invitation by Vince Russo for Drew McIntyre to appear for Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Sapp reported some new details on The Scottish Warrior's contract with WWE.
"Outside of it being into the millions of dollars per year, we're also told that there's about two and a half years left on it. That would carry Drew into 2028," he wrote.
He added that it "was hinted" to him that it would carry both sides through WrestleMania of that year.
Russo recently revealed that he is working for the Juggalo promotion and McIntyre had previously iterated that he wanted to appear for JCW during his independent run in the mid 2010s.
Instead, he will star for WWE, where he has been a top-tier talent for the last two years, is a two-time former world champion, and is fresh off a Saturday Night's Main Event match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
There is no reason to suspect that he will not stay in that position moving forward, regardless of what brand he appears on and which champion he chases.
