Welcome to the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News & Rumor Roundup. Today, we are covering stories involving top pro-wrestling stars, including Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Don Callis, and the New Day, among others.
A major AEW name who last wrestled nearly 2700 days ago confirmed his retirement from pro wrestling. Meanwhile, a popular star will be stepping away from the Jacksonville-based promotion, and the wrestling world received a fresh tease about the New Day's arrival in Tony Khan's promotion. We've got some exciting news from All Elite Wrestling today, so let's dive into the roundup.
Controversial manager and leader of the DCF (Don Callis Family), i.e., Don Callis, has officially addressed his current wrestling status. The Invisible Hand currently guides talented roster members such as Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, and Kevin Knight. He confirmed his retirement from active in-ring competition during an interview with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp. The 62-year-old veteran last competed in the squared circle 2,666 days ago, in March 2019, when he teamed with Bobby Schink and Travis Cole to defeat Chris Stevens, Donny DiCaprio, and current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
Despite being retired, Callis, speaking in an interview on Fightful with Sean Ross Sapp, admitted that a small part of him still wonders whether he could return to the ring. He noted that he does not see himself as a guy in his 50s and believes he could still take a hip toss, though he questioned whether fans would actually want to see him blow up walking to the ring. However, Callis teased that "there's always an amount of money" that could convince him to make an active comeback.
Willow Nightingale is riding a massive wave of momentum in AEW after her unexpected return last week on Dynamite: Beach Break. The former TBS champion entered the high-stakes Women's Casino Gauntlet match and convincingly won it, earning a guaranteed shot at AEW Women's World Champion Thekla at the upcoming Redemption event. However, in a surprising turn of events, the Babe with the Power has announced she is temporarily stepping away from the Tony Khan-led promotion.
After a trios match on Dynamite, the 32-year-old star delivered a promo backstage outlining her immediate plans to wrestle in Tokyo, Japan. Nightingale is heading to Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) to face Mizuki at the Summer Sun Princess event on July 18.
The clip of her announcement is available here.
Chris Jericho has officially announced the return of one of his most legendary and sadistic personas. After three long years, "The Painmaker" gimmick is set to make a dramatic comeback to AEW television. Y2J, who has portrayed numerous diverse characters over his three-and-a-half-decade career, is bringing back this specific persona to settle a score with his current bitter rival, Tommaso Ciampa.
The rivalry reached a boiling point last week at Beach Break, when Ciampa stole a victory by throwing sand into Jericho's eyes, blinding him long enough to deliver a brutal knee for the pinfall. In a recorded promo, Jericho said their feud is far from over and challenged The Psycho Killer to a rematch at Redemption, under the guise of the Painmaker, a gimmick he originally created during his NJPW run after leaving WWE.
The promo can be seen below:
Mercedes Mone is preparing for a monumental clash at All In, where she will challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship after winning the 2026 Women's Owen Hart Cup. Since returning to the company, the CEO has made numerous enemies, especially after defeating Maya World in the tournament finals at Forbidden Door. To protect herself and solidify her position, Mone has aligned with the reigning AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions, Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne and Lena Kross).
This newly formed alliance made a major statement by launching a vicious attack on Willow Nightingale, Thekla, and their allies on last week's Dynamite. In response, Nightingale joined forces with Hyan and Maya World on Collision, leading to a blockbuster main event on this week's edition of the flagship show, where the CEO teamed up with Divine Dominion to defeat Hyan, Willow, and Maya World.
Speculation regarding the highly rumored AEW debut of WWE legends Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods (The New Day) reached a fever pitch on the latest edition of Dynamite. The show kicked off with a captivating AEW World Tag Team Championship match, in which Adam Copeland and Christian Cage successfully defended their titles against Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia. Following the contest, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) were spotted in the crowd applauding the champions.
Fans quickly decoded a subtle tease when the Young Bucks wore colorful T-shirts with a light-blue color scheme that strongly resembled The New Day's iconic merchandise. Kingston and Woods were released by WWE in May 2026 after rejecting a restructured contract from TKO, and their 90-day non-compete clause is expected to expire in early August.
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