WWE News and Rumor Roundup - Bayley has 'retired,' RAW star will never be able to wrestle ever, Big E makes surprising confession, and more

We are back with another stacked edition of WWE News and Rumor Roundup. Has Bayley retired from in-ring competition? A SmackDown Superstar apparently thinks so.

Speaking of retirement, a top RAW personality has ruled out getting in the ring. Meanwhile, Big E made a surprising confession amid his ongoing absence.

Continue reading as we dive into the top stories of the day.

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#4. WWE Superstar claims Bayley has retired

WWE Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton continues to mock Bayley since she successfully defended her title against The Role Model on the January 17, 2025, edition of SmackDown.

This marked the latter's final appearance on the blue brand's show, as she was drafted to RAW via the Transfer Window.

The 35-year-old Superstar has since been working her way back to the top of the women's division. She recently defeated Lyra Valkyria in a Women's Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match to punch her ticket to Canada.

Bayley had a grueling last week as she not only performed on RAW in Nashville, but she also flew to Orlando the following day for NXT.

A few days later, she performed in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game and then headlined Vengeance Day over the weekend.

Bayley recently took to her Instagram handle to share photos of these events, with a caption reading "WHAT A WEEK! 7 flights, 3 matches, 2 NBA games, 1 short life."

Tiffany Stratton dropped a comment on her post, saying, "Retirement looks good on you."

The Role Model clapped back and said she is glad not to be around The Buff Barbie anymore, as it has done wonders for her soul.

Check out their exchange below:

This appears to be a running joke between the co-workers, as Stratton often claims she has 'retired' Bayley.

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#3. Jackie Redmond on if she will ever wrestle

Jackie Redmond has been with WWE as a backstage interviewer and panel host for several years now. WWE is an entertainment product and has offered many celebrities and on-screen personalities a chance to step inside the squared circle over the years.

However, Jackie Redmond has no such intentions. In an interview with Lightweights Podcast, the RAW's backstage interview explained that it isn't easy for someone like her with a small frame to run between the ropes.

Redmond said that wrestling is way harder than it looks, and she doesn't see herself wrestling anytime soon.

“You think it just gives, it looks so simple. But anyone, especially anyone with a small frame that [sic] has actually run the ropes will tell you it’s, like, painful. Like, Snoop Dogg, I understand why it looked the way it looked when he did it. It’s hard! So, I don’t think I would ever wrestle. Unless it was a situation that was just too iconic to pass up,” she said.

Interestingly, Jackie Redmond isn't completely ruling out a potential one-off match if the offer is ''too iconic'' to pass on.

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#2. Big E on if he ever thought about pursuing MMA

Speaking to Kevin Iole on his YouTube channel, Big E explained why he never considered trying his hands at MMA.

Although he loved watching the sport, he didn't think it was an ideal career option for him, considering his height.

"Man, no. Not once. So, mind you, I am maybe 5'11", I'm about 255, so, you know as far as MMA fighting, like Stefan Struve is a seven-foot fighter at heavyweight. You have guys like Daniel Cormier, [who] was able to do it around my height, but you're talking about one of the best American wrestlers of the last what 10-15-20 years. So, as much as I love the sport, I wrestled in high school, I never was enough of an elite wrestler or an elite striker. I never got into striking to think, 'Hey, I can really make a go of this.' But I'm an avid fan; I love watching the fights, MMA, and boxing," he said.

However, the former New Day member has an interest in getting involved with the entertainment side.

"And now I'm getting to be involved. My job, as far as my participation in combat sports, I want to be the one doing the intros. I want to be the one being involved with the entertainment side of the sport. But I have so much respect for the fighters. They have the heart that honestly I don't have," he added.

Big E has pretty much transitioned to acting and being a panelist after he suffered a massive career setback a few years ago.

Will he make a miraculous in-ring return in 2025? It's not impossible since stranger things (no pun intended) have happened in pro wrestling before.

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#1. WWE Superstar says she can't retire until AJ Lee comes back

AJ Lee returning to WWE is a rumor that refuses to go away, now more than ever, with CM Punk back in the Stamford-based promotion. It's not just fans who want to see the former Divas Champion back in the squared circle, but also some WWE Superstars.

During the latest episode of Casual Conversations with The Classic, Naomi revealed that she has been ''harassing'' CM Punk about dragging AJ Lee out of retirement.

The Glow even went on to say that she won't retire until The Black Widow comes back to WWE.

"Of course, I’ve been harassing her husband [CM Punk] about that all the time. And I told him, ‘You need to tell her I can’t retire until she comes back. Girl, you need to come on because Mama’s back is hurting.’ I can’t retire until she comes back," she said.

Apart from Naomi, Bayley, Cora Jade, Liv Morgan, and Roxanne Perez have also been pushing The Best in The World to convince AJ Lee to return to WWE. Does The Geek Goddess have one last run left in her? Only time will tell.