WWE and AEW Rumors on Brock Lesnar's Retirement, 3-Hour SmackDown and MJF Return

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Lesnar Reportedly Could Retire in 2026

John Cena is set to wrestle the final match of his illustrious career this weekend at Saturday Night's Main Event, but another huge star reportedly may not be far behind.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestleTalk), there is a "story going around" that Brock Lesnar may have his final match at SummerSlam 2026 in Minneapolis.

Meltzer added that there are "working plans" for Lesnar and AJ Styles to have their retirement matches next year, as well as Chris Jericho should he leave AEW and return to WWE once his contract is up.

However, Meltzer noted that the plans are not yet "locked in" aside from those for Styles, who has publicly stated that he will retire in 2026.

Cena may have been at the root of the Lesnar retirement rumors based on a comment he made this week during an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News).

When asked to explain the rationale behind Lesnar beating him in dominant fashion at Wrestlepalooza in September, Cena suggested that Lesnar could possibly have his last match at SummerSlam 2026.

"You gotta figure out who gets the shine that night," Cena said. "From my perspective, if the idea is that we're building [Lesnar] up again before he rides into the sunset—maybe in Minnesota—then creatively, yeah, it's going to happen fast. To give someone a mountain to climb, you gotta build that mountain. I'm on my way out. It's not going to hurt me. I'm still a viable draw. It's a great main event. Two titans—see them collide one last time. Sometimes your team gets blown out."

At 48, Lesnar and Cena are the same age, so it won't come as a shock if Lesnar opts to step away from wrestling shortly after Cena.

After two years away, Lesnar made his surprise WWE return at SummerSlam back in August. He has since competed in two matches, beating Cena at Wrestlepalooza and prevailing in a WarGames match at Survivor Series.

It isn't yet clear what might be next for Lesnar, but based on his involvement in WrestleMania 42 promotional material, it seems likely that big plans are in store for The Beast Incarnate.

WWE's Reported Plans for Return to 3-Hour SmackDown

Amid rumors that SmackDown will expand from a two-hour show to three hours next month, WWE is reportedly planning to make some other major changes to the blue brand.

According to BodySlam.net (h/t Mukherjee), WWE is expected to provide SmackDown's roster with "a little bit of a boost." The report added that WWE decision-makers are "aware that the brand desperately needs help on the creative and talent side and are discussing ways to improve."

Last month, WrestleVotes reported on the planned expansion of SmackDown from two hours to three hours, beginning with the Jan. 2, 2026, episode in Buffalo, New York.

SmackDown had long been a two-hour show, but it expanded to three hours for the first half of 2025 before returning to two hours in July.

The move to three hours initially coincided with USA Network losing Raw to Netflix. The three-hour SmackDowns replaced the three hours of WWE programming USA lost when Raw went to Netflix, but it was only temporary.

With another move to three hours reportedly on the horizon, it is fair to wonder if WWE is planning to do a half year of two-hour SmackDowns and a half year of three-hour SmackDowns once again in 2026.

While SmackDown boasts some star power in the form of WWE champion Cody Rhodes, WWE women's champion Jade Cargill, Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and Tiffany Stratton, it is fair to say Raw has the more stacked roster.

The red brand is headlined by world heavyweight champion CM Punk, women's world champion Stephanie Vaquer, intercontinental champion Dominik Mysterio, The Vision, AJ Styles, Gunther, Jey Uso, LA Knight, Rhea Ripley, Bayley, Iyo Sky and The Kabuki Warriors.

Also, most of Roman Reigns' recent appearances have occurred on Raw, giving the show yet another huge draw.

While that makes some sense currently due to the fact that Raw is a longer show than SmackDown, there is logic behind the idea of balancing the rosters more fairly once SmackDown goes to three hours.

MJF's AEW Return Reportedly In the Works

MJF has not been seen on AEW programming since September, but his absence reportedly could soon come to an end.

According to Meltzer (h/t WrestleTalk), MJF is expected to return to AEW "soon" now that his acting commitments have been fulfilled.

MJF got married in September, and just a few weeks later, he lost a Tables and Tacks match to Mark Briscoe at All Out. He has been away from the company since then, leaving AEW without one of its top stars.

Per Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), MJF was filming for his role in the upcoming film Violent Night 2 while he was away.

MJF's acting career is burgeoning to say the least, as he recently played the role of one of Adam Sandler's sons in the movie Happy Gilmore 2.

While more acting opportunities are likely to be in MJF's future, he is seemingly in line for another huge push in AEW first.

The former AEW world champion is in possession of a contract that guarantees him a world title opportunity, meaning he could go after the championship essentially as soon as he returns.

Samoa Joe is the current champ after winning it from "Hangman" Adam Page, and he is in Swerve Strickland's crosshairs.

Since MJF was a heel when he went on hiatus, setting the stage for a rivalry between him and Swerve is perhaps the most intriguing story AEW can put together.