WWE News & Rumors Roundup: Surprising Retirement Announced; Emotional Farewell; Personal Damian Priest Update; Cody Rhodes Shots Fired

Welcome to the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE News and Rumors Roundup for January 1, 2026. In this edition, we'll cover a star's retirement confirmation, a popular personality's emotional farewell, Damian Priest's personal update, and Cody Rhodes' rival firing shots at him.

There is another update on WWE star Maxxine Dupri marrying her long-time partner. So, let's get started.

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#5. WWE star Maxxine Dupri married her long-time partner

The current WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion, Maxxine Dupri, finally tied the knot with her long-time partner and fellow wrestler, Anthony Luke (aka Kam Hendrix).

Dupri recently gave an interview to People.com, in which she talked about her big day. The real-life Sydney Zmrzel revealed that she has been dating Luke for seven years and found it surreal that they are now celebrating their wedding day.

"It’s surreal to think we’ve been together nearly seven years and now get to celebrate our marriage with the wedding of our dreams," Zmrzel says. "It’s truly euphoric — a feeling of love, gratitude, and excitement for everything ahead," Maxxine Dupri said.

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#4. Drew McIntyre fired personal shots at Cody Rhodes

Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes have been in a heated feud for quite some time. Their rivalry took an ugly turn when McIntyre assaulted Rhodes in the latter's bus backstage. The two are set to face each other for the Undisputed WWE Championship in a Three Stages of Hell Match on the January 9, 2026, edition of WWE SmackDown in Berlin, Germany.

Ahead of this much-anticipated clash, The Scottish Warrior fired personal shots at The American Nightmare during a recent live event. Drew went to Brandi Rhodes' family, who were sitting ringside, and told them that he knew they wished their daughter had married him instead of Cody.

"I know what you're really thinking, 'I wish my daughter married Drew instead of Cody'".

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#3. Damian Priest shared a personal update ahead of WWE SmackDown

Ahead of the upcoming edition of WWE SmackDown, Damian Priest took to Instagram to share a personal update. The star wished his followers a happy New Year, mentioning that everyone should focus on their life's good parts, as it is filled with smiles and laughter.

Priest also introduced a new member of his family, sharing his dog's photo and revealing that he named him "Champ."

"Wishing you all the best New Year! We focus so much on what we want, what we believe should be, that we forget about what is. Life is so good. Smile. Laugh. Enjoy. Pass that on to someone. To anyone. To everyone. We ain't s***. But we can do more for others. Let's try together. I'm with you. BTW, this is Champ. He's a good boy ❤️," Priest wrote.

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#2. A popular WWE fan has bid his emotional goodbye

Real-life Michael Corcoran (aka the Brock Lesnar Guy) recently took to X/Twitter to reveal that after 25 years, he has decided to stop attending wrestling shows. He added that he felt it was time to move on and focus on other things in his life.

Corcoran also mentioned that he would still be posting about wrestling, but would not attend any shows.

“The End…….. For over 25 years, I’ve experienced some amazing moments attending wrestling shows. But now……… It’s time to move on. I knew I was running out of time with this. Which is why I hit it hard this year. What an incredible year it was, especially with John Cena’s retirement tour. I need to focus on other things now, which I will be sharing with you guys very soon, but as far as attending wrestling shows………. It’s time for me to move on. I will still be posting content…….. stay tuned. The End or…….. To Be Continued?”

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#1. A popular 30-year-old star announced her retirement; she could reportedly start her career in another sport

On December 12, 2025, at CSW In Cold Blood, Missa Kate competed in her final wrestling match in a Career vs. Career bout against Steve Boz. After this match, Kate announced that she was officially retiring from pro wrestling at only 30 years old.

She later took to Instagram to send a message about her retirement. The star shared that when she started her wrestling journey, she had decided that she would hang up her boots after turning 30. Kate added that she was extremely grateful that her career ended almost at the same time as her idol, WWE legend John Cena.

"Dear Wrestling World, How do I start this.... Tonight was my last wrestling match. Not just with CSW but across the board. I made a promise to myself when I first started wrestling that no matter where I was with wrestling, at 30 years old I would be done. There is sooo much more to the story, but I'm just going to end with that. There's something so poetically beautiful of @johncena being the first match I've ever seen, & then being able to retire from wrestling the day before he does. It's almost like God planned it. Who'd a thunk it," she wrote.

Fightful has now reported that sources have indicated Missa Kate is training for MMA after officially retiring from pro wrestling.

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Edited by Aashrit Satija