Chris Jericho Talks Retirement Buzz, John Cena's Dad Shades Gunther, WWE-TNA Rumors

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Jericho Comments on Pro Wrestling Future

Chris Jericho's immediate future in pro wrestling has been a hot topic of discussion in recent months, and the legendary performer shed some light on it this week.

During an appearance on WBSM 1420's Tim Weisberg Show (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Jericho discussed his plans for 2026, saying, "You never know. I'm not done yet. Still figuring out everything and we'll see where I end up. I'm pretty sure you'll see me in 2026 in a wrestling ring somewhere."

Jericho, 55, shockingly signed with AEW in 2019 after having previously been with WWE since 1999. It gave AEW the recognizable star it needed when first getting off the ground, and Jericho was tabbed as the first-ever AEW world champion.

His role became marginalized over the past couple of years, though, and Jericho has not been seen on AEW programming since April.

During the summer, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestleTalk) reported that people in AEW expected Jericho to leave the company for WWE, potentially returning as a surprise entrant in the 2026 Royal Rumble in January.

It was also reported by WrestleVotes (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) that there was "a lot of enthusiasm" about the idea of Jericho returning to WWE, and that it was "expected to be completed" shortly after the expiration of his AEW contract.

Given his age, there is little doubt that Jericho is nearing the end of his celebrated career, but there may still be some intriguing opportunities available to him in WWE given that he hasn't been with the company for several years.

John Cena was honored with a retirement tour this year, and AJ Styles could receive similar treatment in 2026. If Jericho wants to go out in that manner, WWE may be the place to make it happen.

Cena's Dad Against Retirement Match vs. Gunther

Gunther is one victory away from being the final opponent of John Cena's career, but one person who is close to Cena doesn't want to see it happen.

Appearing this week on the All Axxess Podcast (h/t Mukherjee), Cena's father, John Cena Sr., gave his thoughts on Gunther potentially being part of Cena's retirement match at the Dec. 13 Saturday Night's Main Event:

When asked who he would like to see his son face in his last match, Cena Sr. said, "Well, it certainly wouldn't be Gunther, that's for sure. I don't think that's a wise move. I don't think the fans would enjoy that move."

Cena Sr. went on to express his belief that Gunther wouldn't benefit as much from the match as other options, and he also questioned whether it is necessary for Cena to lose his final match, saying, "Gunther does not need the rub. And by the way, I'm not a fan of the whole 'on the way out you've got to push somebody over the top' idea. You're supposed to pass the torch, but I don't know if that's written anywhere in professional wrestling."

To determine Cena's final opponent, the Last Time Is Now tournament has taken place on Raw and SmackDown over the past few weeks.

On this week's episode of Raw, Gunther beat Solo Sikoa and LA Knight defeated Jey Uso to set up a clash between Gunther and Knight in the finals of the tourney this Friday on SmackDown.

Gunther is a former world heavyweight champion and the longest-reigning intercontinental champion in WWE history, so it can be argued that Knight would benefit more from having the match against Cena, given that he has yet to win a world title in WWE.

Regardless of who gets the match and what the result is, facing Cena in his last match is a career-defining moment that would stand out on the résumé of both Gunther and Knight.

Update on WWE's Partnership with TNA

Despite speculation to the contrary, there is reportedly no end in sight to the working relationship between WWE and TNA.

PWInsider.com (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats) reported that there is no truth to any rumors about the WWE-TNA partnership nearing its conclusion.

Back in January, WWE and TNA announced that they had entered into an official, multi-year partnership that included crossovers such as talent exchanges.

With NXT Superstars appearing in TNA and vice versa, TNA's profile has seemingly been on the rise over the past year.

That narrative was bolstered Tuesday when TNA announced it had reached a multi-year television deal with AMC to air Impact every Thursday night.

It is likely a safe assumption that TNA's association with the top wrestling company in the world was helpful in TV negotiations, so there would be little reason for TNA to want that partnership to end.

As for WWE, TNA provides a pool of talent that can be utilized on NXT and eventually signed once their TNA contracts are up, so the relationship is a mutually beneficial one that makes plenty of sense to continue.