Rumor Roundup (January 9, 2026): Chris Jericho's potential return, plans for WrestleMania 42, Oba Femi's call-up, and more!
January 9, 2026, 6:00 AM UTC
For many fans, speculating about the latest whispers in the world of professional wrestling can be just as thrilling as watching the matches unfold. In this daily column, we delve into the freshest gossip making the rounds in the wrestling community.
A crucial point to keep in mind: these are merely rumors. Nothing here has been officially confirmed; it’s simply what’s circulating in the wrestling rumor mill. We also assess the reliability of these speculations in a weekly feature called "Rumor Look Back," which you can check out here (https://www.cagesideseats.com/rumor-look-back). It’s wise to treat all of this information with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Today's Rumors:
- According to Andrew Baydala from Final Bell Media (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfpWcG86jtk), Chris Jericho may have already reached an agreement for a return to WWE (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/406966/chris-jericho-wwe-return-looking-more-and-more-likely). Additionally, sources suggest that Jericho is keen on potentially working with TNA (https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/396358/chris-jericho-insults-aew-look-praises-tna-ppv-second-biggest-company-wwe-return-rumor-edited), which has sparked speculation about his appearance on the highly anticipated premiere episode of Thursday Night Impact on AMC (https://www.cagesideseats.com/tna/409497/perez-hilton-appearance-tna-impact-debut-amc-celebrity-blogger-loltna-new-tv-deal-launch) next week.
- Various reports indicate that Oba Femi is likely to be promoted to the Raw roster following his vacating of the NXT championship (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/409044/oba-femi-leaves-nxt-championship-ring-new-years-evil) this past week. Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful (https://www.patreon.com/fightful) mentioned that the decision for Oba not to lose the NXT title (https://www.cagesideseats.com/post/aCIqTi7DPddo) was a move to preserve his momentum ahead of his call-up (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/403741/saturday-nights-main-event-results-drew-mcintyre-ruins-oba-femi-vs-cody-rhodes).
- WrestleVotes (https://x.com/wrestlevotes) has stated that there are intentions for Femi to receive a significant push upon joining Raw, positioning him prominently in upcoming storylines (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/403495/oba-femi-first-promo-wwe-smackdown-cody-rhodes-snme-cena-mcintyre-suspension-legal-unsafe-work) and ensuring he plays a major role at WrestleMania 42 (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/403924/oba-femi-shines-cody-rhodes-fans-boo-non-finish-snme).
- One insider shared that the method of announcing Je’Von Evans’ official call-up (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/405735/jevon-evans-free-agent-wwe-announcement) during a commercial break on Raw (https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/408832/jevon-evans-called-up-wwe-raw-during-commercial-break) left several people backstage puzzled. WWE appears to be shifting towards promoting online-exclusive content, and Evans’ announcement might have been a strategic element in this new approach.
- Furthermore, there have been discussions within WWE about the possibility of signing NJPW star David Finlay once his contract with NJPW expires (https://www.cagesideseats.com/rumor-round-up/394232/rumor-roundup-nov-3-2025-wwe-frustration-tony-khan-policy-mjf-return-talk-will-ospreay-more). They are reportedly interested in integrating him into NXT.
- Wrestling Observer Radio’s (https://www.f4wonline.com/podcasts/wrestling-observer-live/wor-aew-and-nxt-wbd-and-aew-netflix-tons-more/) Bryan Alvarez noted that AEW used actual cinder blocks during Powerhouse Hobbs’ powerslam and Hangman Page’s Deadeye moments in the recent Lights Out match (https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/409169/aew-dynamite-results-live-discussion-jan-7-2026-lights-out-hangman-swerve-mjf-mox-toni-storm) on Dynamite.
If you've come across any intriguing rumors that you'd like to share, please feel free to drop them in the comments section below. Just keep in mind that these are still rumors and not verified facts, so it's best to proceed with caution.
