WWE Rumors on John Cena Hall of Fame Induction, AJ Styles' Retirement and WrestleMania 42 Plans

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

Cena Reportedly Not Slated for 2026 WWE HOF

John Cena had the final match of his legendary wrestling career in December, and while an eventual WWE Hall of Fame induction seems like a foregone conclusion, fans will reportedly have to wait to celebrate the 17-time world champion.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Cena is not expected to be part of the WWE Hall of Fame's class of 2026, and the current plan is for longtime WWE executive and on-screen talent Stephanie McMahon to be the headliner.

There was plenty of thought among fans that WWE would put a bow on Cena's career by immediately inducting him into the Hall of Fame on the heels of his retirement match against Gunther two months ago.

It is a matter of when rather than if Cena will be part of the Hall of Fame, and it appears as though the company wants to save it for a future year.

Given that both Cena and Stephanie are hugely important figures in WWE history, it makes sense for the promotion to want to spread things out and allow them to be headliners in separate Hall of Fame classes.

An argument can be made for Cena being the most successful and biggest star in WWE history, as he accomplished essentially every accolade possible during his 25 years as a main roster Superstar.

Cena's induction will be a massive deal, much like Hulk Hogan and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin before him, and WWE appears to be taking a calculated approach regarding when and how it wants to immortalize him.

Reported Belief That Styles May Not Be Done Wrestling

AJ Styles lost his retirement match to Gunther at Royal Rumble, but some in the wrestling world reportedly believe fans have not seen the last of The Phenomenal One in the squared circle.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), some sources in WWE think Styles "is not done wrestling in some capacity," although no further specifics were provided.

Last year, Styles made it clear that he wanted 2026 to be his final year as an in-ring competitor, and while most assumed he would wrestle throughout the year, he surprised wrestling fans by putting his career on the line against Gunther and losing at Royal Rumble.

After the match, an emotional Styles took off his gloves and was about to place them on the canvas, but he put them back on instead and did his signature pose for the fans in Saudi Arabia.

On Thursday, Styles appeared on Stephanie McMahon's What's Your Story? podcast, and he was asked about the significance of that gesture:

Styles told McMahon (h/t WrestleTalk) that he wasn't entirely sure why he did it, and he left the door open for having another match at some point down the line.

"I don't know. I don't know," Styles said. "Never say never, that's the saying right? I think everybody's allowed at least once coming out of retirement. I'm not saying I will do it any time soon. ... What if my son wrestles? The opportunity to tag with him once, you never know. There'll be a time when the gloves never go back on and it may be now, but we'll see."

The 48-year-old veteran didn't deny that a return to the ring is possible, but he also got emotional when discussing the desire of his wife and daughter to have him home more often.

That would seem to indicate that Styles has no immediate plans to wrestle, but if one of his sons gets into the business, it sounds as though that could compel The Phenomenal One to end his retirement.

Reported Original and Current WrestleMania Plans for Rhodes, Punk

WWE reportedly had Cody Rhodes slated for a blockbuster match at WrestleMania 42 before going in a different direction.

According to F4WOnline's Dave Meltzer (h/t WrestleOps), originally plans called for CM Punk to win the men's Elimination Chamber match and challenge Cody Rhodes for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

Instead, Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship vacated by the injured Seth Rollins in November, and he is in the midst of a nearly 100-day reign as champion.

After Roman Reigns won the men's Royal Rumble match, he and Punk had a promo battle on this week's episode of Raw, and a world heavyweight title match between Punk and Reigns was made official for WrestleMania in Las Vegas.

Since Punk and Reigns are occupied with each other, Rhodes will instead challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship in the main event of Night 1 of WrestleMania, per Meltzer (h/t WrestleOps).

That would suggest Rhodes is in line to win the Elimination Chamber match, but Meltzer added that it is possible Jacob Fatu will be added to the WrestleMania title match to make it a Triple Threat.

Several months ago, Fatu was attacked before a scheduled No. 1 contender's match against McIntyre.

He made his surprise return on SmackDown last month during a Three Stages of Hell match between McIntyre and Rhodes for the WWE Championship.

Fatu initially went after McIntyre, but he then got in a tussle with Rhodes, which allowed Drew to escape the steel cage and beat Cody for the title.

Given Fatu's involvement in the storyline, making the match a Triple Threat at WrestleMania would likely be the most compelling path possible.