WWE Rumors on John Cena's Contract, UFC's Michael Chandler at PC and Evander Holyfield's Son Elijah

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

Cena's WWE Contract Reportedly Bars Wrestling Elsewhere

John Cena is retired from in-ring competition, but if he were to decide to end his retirement, it would reportedly have to happen in WWE.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Cena is still under a multi-year contract with WWE as an ambassador, and it is believed to prevent him from wrestling for other companies.

After a yearlong retirement tour, Cena wrestled the final match of his illustrious career in December 2025, losing to Gunther by submission on Saturday Night's Main Event.

Cena has made it clear that he has no intention of ever wrestling again, and that he wants to remain true to his word by remaining retired.

However, Cena did leave the door open slightly for an eventual return during an interview with Brody Brown and Carla Sosenko of Us Magazine in June, saying, "I hate speaking in absolutes. … 'Never' is a strong word. It would be financial suicide for someone to court me in a position where I would have another match, and I truly mean that. So if you're in the business of torching currency, that's the only way to get me back in the ring."

That led to speculation among fans regarding AEW or another promotion potentially attempting to lure Cena out of retirement, but his WWE deal will reportedly prevent that from happening.

Even in retirement, Cena is still heavily involved with WWE, as he hosted WrestleMania 42 this year and also announced the creation of the John Cena Classic tournament.

Given his longtime commitment to WWE and his desire to remain part of the WWE family, it is difficult to envision Cena ever working with another wrestling company in any capacity in the future.

Michael Chandler Reportedly Spotted at WWE PC

UFC star Michael Chandler raised some eyebrows Monday within the pro wrestling world.

According to False Finish, Chandler was seen at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, on Monday.

That comes on the heels of WWE showing Chandler in the crowd during SummerSlam earlier this month. He was previously also shown in the crowd during an episode of Raw in February 2024, and he cut a promo on fellow UFC star Conor McGregor at the time:

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet (h/t Carrier) in October 2025, Chandler indicated that he might have interest in joining WWE at some point:

"God created me for hand-to-hand combat, whether it's on the wrestling mats or maybe one day in a WWE ring after fighting," Chandler said. "Becoming a pro wrestler definitely intrigues me. It seems like a lot of fun, and I think I would enjoy it. There's definitely interest and curiosity on both sides. I've spent some time with Sheamus and a few other friends in wrestling. I'm a fan of the sport—I love going to live events and watching it on TV."

Chandler, 40, has lost six of his past seven fights in UFC, including a technical knockout defeat against Maurício Ruffy in June.

Because of that and the likelihood of his desired fight against McGregor waning, it may be the perfect time for Chandler to transition into the world of wrestling with WWE.

There is no guarantee that Chandler will be a fit, but several MMA fighters have successfully made the move to wrestling over the years, including Ken Shamrock, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler and Matt Riddle.

Since WWE and UFC are both under the TKO umbrella, Chandler joining WWE would be a solid way to promote corporate synergy, and it would give WWE another performer with some mainstream name recognition, as Chandler is a former Bellator lightweight champion and UFC lightweight title contender.

Reported Details on Elijah Holyfield Going to AAA

WWE reportedly had a specific objective in mind when it decided to make Elijah Holyfield part of the AAA roster.

Holyfield was informed of the decision by NXT head Shawn Michaels during Sunday's episode of WWE LFG, and according to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Derek Holloway of Ringside News), putting Holyfield in AAA instead of NXT was done with an eye toward building some AAA-exclusive talent.

WrestleVotes noted that WWE wants to build some standalone stars in AAA rather than having to rely only on those who are also needed on Raw and SmackDown, such as Penta, Dominik Mysterio, El Grande Americano and Rey Fenix.

Holyfield, 28, signed a developmental deal with WWE in late 2024 following the conclusion of his football career.

He played collegiately as a running back at Georgia before signing with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

Holyfield then spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019 and 2020, appearing in one regular-season game for Philly during the 2020 campaign.

After spending some time on the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad in 2021, an injury suffered in 2022 effectively spelled the end of Holyfield's football career, and he made the move to pro wrestling.

Holyfield's family is no stranger to combat sports as his father, Evander Holyfield, was heavyweight and cruiserweight boxing champion.

Elijah will look to follow in his famous father's footsteps and prove that he is the "real deal" as a pro wrestler in AAA.