Welcome along to the latest rendition of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s AEW News & Rumor Roundup. Today, we are looking at stories involving top pro-wrestling stars, including Cody Rhodes and Mercedes Mone, among others.
A long-term AEW absentee has finally returned to in-ring action. Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes paid tribute to former faction members and AEW champions after winning the WWE Undisputed Championship on SmackDown, and Mercedes Mone faced a major setback outside Tony Khan’s promotion. We’ve got some headline-worthy news coming out of All Elite Wrestling today, so let’s get this roundup started.
#5. Nyla Rose makes a shocking return outside AEW
Nyla Rose has officially returned to the squared circle, stepping back into the ring for an independent promotion. The Native Beast had not appeared in Tony Khan’s promotion since she competed in a tag team match on an episode of Rampage in November 2024. During her extended absence from the Jacksonville-based promotion, the former AEW Women’s World Champion made a surprising appearance at Pro-Wrestling EVE’s Wrestling Queendom event in London, England, where she competed as part of the Sudden Death 16 match. This marked her first return to the British independent scene since November, when she lost the EVE Championship to Rhio.
Interestingly, Rose holds the record for the most matches by a female wrestler in All Elite Wrestling history, but the Native Beast has recently been overshadowed by Tony Khan’s stacked roster. It will be interesting to see if she returns to AEW TV someday this year.
#4. Cody Rhodes pays tribute to Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks following WWE title win
Cody Rhodes won the Undisputed WWE Championship on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown. The American Nightmare defeated Drew McIntyre to become a three-time WWE Champion. Right after his victory, Rhodes climbed the top rope, performed the iconic Bullet Club “Too Sweet” hand gesture, and pointed to the WrestleMania sign. This gesture was a heartfelt tribute to his close friends and former Bullet Club teammates, former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and former AEW Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks, who, along with Rhodes, helped found All Elite Wrestling in 2019.
At WrestleMania 42 in Vegas, Rhodes will defend his newly won title against this year’s Elimination Chamber winner, Randy Orton, in the main event of Night 1. The two superstars are scheduled to sign their match contract next week on SmackDown.
#3. Mercedes Mone loses CMLL Women’s World Championship and BestYa Women’s Championship
Mercedes Mone’s dominant run as a multi-promotional champion recently hit a major setback. In 2025, the CEO set multiple records by winning and holding over a dozen championships worldwide. However, she has faced a quick string of defeats, starting with losing her TBS Championship in her last match for Tony Khan’s promotion in December 2025. That same month, the former Sasha Banks also suffered heartbreaking losses by losing both the ROH Women’s World Championship and the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship.
Her streak of championship losses continued internationally over the past few weeks as Mone traveled to Mexico last week to defend her CMLL Women’s World Championship, only to be shockingly defeated by Persephone. Shortly after, she lost the BestYa Women’s Championship to Swan in Italy, leaving her with seven titles remaining. Currently, the CEO is on a hiatus from the Jacksonville-based promotion. It will be interesting to see if she returns soon, given her recent setbacks.
#2. Chris Jericho’s AEW contract reportedly had a freezing clause
The future of Chris Jericho in wrestling has been heavily debated by fans, especially given his absence from All Elite Wrestling programming since April 2025. Speculation had been mounting that the former and inaugural AEW World Champion might allow his contract to expire and return to WWE in the build-up to WrestleMania. However, veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer recently clarified on Wrestling Observer Radio that Y2J is still signed to the Tony Khan-led promotion.
Meltzer reported that Jericho’s AEW contract has been officially frozen. He explained that it is standard practice in wrestling contracts to include a freezing clause, which allows a promotion to pause the contract clock and add back any missed time to the deal when a performer takes an extended leave from television or in-ring action.
#1. Bayley goes at it with Kris Statlander
An online exchange between WWE’s Bayley and former AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander recently caught the attention of the wrestling community. The interaction was sparked when Bayley’s former partner, Charlie (formerly known as Dakota Kai), made her in-ring return against Statlander for the EVE International title in London, England. During the match, Charlie executed a Bayley to Belly maneuver as a tribute to Bayley. When Charlie asked on X/Twitter if she performed the move correctly, Bayley responded with specific tips to ensure Statlander wouldn’t be able to kick out next time. Stat noticed the interaction and replied with a series of angry emojis, prompting the Role Model to bluntly warn the Galaxy’s Greatest Alien
“Don’t you start with me”, Bayley wrote on X
Meanwhile, Statlander is getting ready for a Women’s Title rematch against reigning champion Thekla, which will happen at the upcoming Revolution 2026 pay-per-view on March 15th, under a best two-out-of-three falls rule.
Edited by Karan Raj
