AEW News & Rumor Roundup: WWE Legend reveals surprising retirement plans; Miro's future after release; The Hurt Syndicate to relinquish titles?

Welcome to the February 12 edition of AEW News and Rumor Roundup. In today's edition, we'll cover some trending topics like WWE legend commenting on his retirement plans, what might be in the store for Miro after his AEW release, why The Hurt Syndicate wants to relinquish their titles, and more.

So without further ado, let's begin:

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#5. Dustin Rhodes reveals his retirement plans

Dustin Rhodes is 55 years old and has been in the industry for a long time. He has been with AEW since its inception in 2019 and recently signed a contract extension at the end of 2024.

In an interview on the Battleground podcast, The Natural addressed his retirement plans, stating that he wants a certain star to be his final opponent. However, he didn't namedrop anyone:

"I have, and I keep it close to the vest about my opponent. But I have had this plan the last couple of years of who I want to finish up with, and that's gonna take place in three years."

The Natural added he wants a similar retirement to Sting:

"It's gonna be tough to step away, but, you know...by no means am I anywhere on Sting's level, but I want that same kind of out. I do; I think I've earned it. And I think, to finish it off on a pay-per-view, and to cut a very heartwrenching, emotional promo afterwards is what people like. And it's not like the old days where you...I wanna win. I wanna win that last match. I don't wanna lose."

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#4. What's next for Miro?

Miro had been absent from AEW since the Worlds End 2023 PPV. He requested his release from the company last month and his request was granted recently. Ricky Starks and Malakai Black were also let go from the Jacksonville-based company.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio stated that he was certain about Ricky Starks joining WWE. He also said that he expects Black to return to WWE as well. But he couldn't say the same about Miro:

"Miro — I would just say I expect but, I cannot say I am certain," Meltzer noted.

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#3. Why does The Hurt Syndicate want to relinquish the AEW World Tag Team Championship?

Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin won the AEW World Tag Team Championship on the January 22 edition of Dynamite after defeating Private Party. But the group plans to vacate the titles to begin their singles runs.

Speaking on Mostly Sports With Mark Titus and Brandon Walker, MVP stated that The Hurt Syndicate will relinquish the tag team gold once they've established a strong dynamic as a group. After that, they'll pursue the singles titles:

"Right now, we’re going to have a nice long run with the tag titles because we want everybody to understand that our group dynamic is in place. When we’re ready, we’ll vacate these titles and we’ll be onto most likely the AEW World Title and the TNT Title," he said.

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#2. Ricochet set to make a return to ROH after 15 years

Ricochet last appeared in a dark match in Ring of Honor: Survival of the Fittest in 2009. After 15 long years, he's set to return to the company (which is now owned by Tony Khan). It was recently announced that he will face veteran Luchador Serpentico on ROH Honorclub this Thursday.

Mr. High Fly arrived in AEW last year at All In as a babyface. But soon the fans turned against him, forcing him to adopt a negative character. Lately, he has been feuding with the former World Champion Swerve Strickland.

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#1. Elijah is not signed to AEW or ROH

A few weeks ago, former WWE star Elijah (fka Elias) posted a video alongside ROH tag team The Righteous, which fueled speculation of him moving to Tony Khan's roster. After a while, Dave Meltzer reported that he had signed with ROH and the fans would also see him in AEW sometimes.

However, a recent update from Sean Ross Sapp has falsified Meltzer's report. According to the Fightful journalist, Elijah is not signed with AEW or ROH. But word on the street is that TNA is interested in him.

The erstwhile Elias was released from WWE in September 2023. he's been working in the independent circuits ever since. Some of the promotions where he has performed are IWC, The Wrestling Revolver, World Series Wrestling, etc.