WWE News and Rumor Roundup - Uncle Howdy's gone, Veteran name quietly decided to end his in-ring career, Update on AJ Styles' contract status

We are back with another stacked edition of WWE News and Rumor Roundup. After weeks of TV absence, fans finally learned an update on Uncle Howdy's immediate future. Meanwhile, a veteran name has shared a video to confirm he would never return to the squared circle again.

Backstage word on AJ Styles' contract status amid AEW speculation has also surfaced online and a bunch of stories.

Continue reading as we dive into the top WWE News and Rumors of the day.

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#5. Uncle Howdy is no longer on RAW

Uncle Howdy hasn't been seen on WWE television since the December 9 episode of RAW last year. The Wyatt Sicks' leader suffered a disappointing pinfall loss at the hands of Karrion Kross during an eight-man tag team match that night.

Paul Ellering, who was taken out by Uncle Howdy over a month ago, returned to help his faction as he threw powder in Bo Dallas' face during the closing moments of the match.

The Wyatt Sicks exacted revenge of sorts a few weeks later when they attacked The Final Testament after Karrion Kross and Co. caused disqualification during the match between The Miz and Dexter Lumis.

The storyline ended abruptly when Kross announced that The Wyatt Sicks had been drafted to SmackDown during the transfer window.

However, Uncle Howdy and his stablemates were nowhere to be seen on SmackDown since the announcement. Earlier this week on RAW, Karrion Kross reiterated that Uncle Howdy was gone from RAW.

"Well, I mean, look, I'm the only guy to beat Uncle Howdy. I derailed all their momentum. He's gone, I won, they lost. Let's all have an emotional meltdown about it," Kross said.

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#4. DDP decided he would never wrestle again

Diamond Dallas Page had a long career, in which he wrestled for six different decades and in various wrestling promotions.

WCW undoubtedly helped him reach stardom, while AEW was where DDP wrote the final chapter of his storied career.

The 68-year-old WWE Hall of Famer last wrestled in a six-man tag team match back in 2020, teaming up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall in a losing outing against MJF and The Butcher and The Blade.

The night before his last hurrah, DDP recorded a video backstage, where he confirmed this would be his last match ever. He shared that throwback clip a few days ago on Instagram, with a caption reading:

"Five years ago today I wrestled my last match. What a great time I had. @americannightmarecody was the one who put the finish together. Couldn’t think of a better way to have my last match. Thanks Champ! Special thanks to all the boys (@dustinrhodestx, @realqtmarshall, @the_mjf, @realwardlow, @andycomplains, @thebladeofbuffalo, and @alliewrestling) that made me look like I could still have it. DDP 💎 "

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#3. Latest update on AJ Styles' WWE status

AJ Styles is another WWE Superstar who hasn't been seen on SmackDown since late 2024.

After his months-long feud with Cody Rhodes, The Phenomenal One finally returned with a new character on the October 4 episode of SmackDown last year. AJ Styles suffered a massive career setback that night as he sustained a Lisfranc injury during his match with Carmelo Hayes.

The 47-year-old stalwart recently described his injury as "challenging," with no potential timeline for his return.

Amidst his absence, Fightful Select learned that WWE would likely add injury time to Styles' contract, which was said to be up soon.

The Lone Wolf is reportedly happy working with the Stamford-based promotion and signed the last two WWE contracts under the assumption that it would be his last pro wrestling deal.

With Royal Rumble right around the corner, fans would be hoping to see AJ Styles back in the ring, possibly as a surprise entrant during the 30-man battle royal.

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#2. Is Drew McIntyre out of the Royal Rumble race?

Drew McIntyre had a roller coaster of a run last year. He finally won the WWE World Championship in front of a jam-packed crowd.

Unfortunately, it lasted only five minutes as Damian Priest successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract in post-match shenanigans, also involving CM Punk.

What transpired after was a trilogy between the Scotsman and the Best in the World, with the final match culminating in Hell in a Cell at Bad Blood. Punk emerged victorious that night and has since been on a winning streak.

The two rivals will likely come face-to-face once again on February 1 when they enter the 30-man Royal Rumble match.

Speaking on the Wrestling with Freddie podcast, Prinze Jr. ruled out the possibility of McIntyre winning the Royal Rumble match as he thinks CM Punk would eliminate him.

"What I see happening, there's no way Drew McIntyre is winning the Royal Rumble, not if CM Punk's in it. And I won't bet against CM Punk ever again. But now you get a cool story where I think CM Punk might try to do the same move to Drew, and that'll like get him in the Future Shock DDT or the Pedigree, whatever it's gonna be, and smash him and then throw him out of the ring," Prinze Jr. said.

The Straight Edge Superstar has yet to fulfill his long dream of headlining WrestleMania. Will 2025 be the year of CM Punk? Only time will tell.

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#1. WWE nixed Alexa Bliss' return plans

Alexa Bliss went on maternity leave shortly after the 2023 Royal Rumble and hasn't been seen in any wrestling capacity ever since. It looks like fans have to wait a little longer to see the Goddess of WWE back on television.

PWInsider learned that Alexa Bliss was supposed to return during the second episode of RAW on Netflix last week. She was set to be inserted into the Wyatt Sicks storyline.

However, all her return plans appear to have been "put on hold indefinitely." As of this writing, Alexa Bliss is not scheduled to be a part of the Women's Royal Rumble match or the Wyatt Sicks program.

According to reports, the plans fell through due to a "contract issue."