Morning Daily News Update: February 25, 2026 – AJ Styles Speaks On His Decision To Retire

Good morning, everyone!

It’s Wednesday, and it’s time for the Morning Daily News Update! It’s also the last one from me this week, as I’m away the rest of the week. I’ll catch you all again on Monday!

We’ve also got a couple of new blog posts from yesterday:

Phrederic uploaded a review of AJPW New Year’s Eve 2025
Niz has the review of last night’s episode of WWE NXT

Also, Scott did a rant for a rare Coliseum Home Video release called Terminators 96!

AJ Styles: ‘Now Is The Right Time To Retire So I Don’t Make A Fool Out Of Myself’

Speaking on Raw Recap, AJ Styles said he chose to retire now to protect his legacy, admitting he feared overstaying his welcome and no longer meeting the standard he set throughout his career in TNA, Japan, and WWE.

Dustin Rhodes Declines WWE Return

Dustin Rhodes has made it clear he has no interest in returning to WWE. After a fan suggested bringing Goldust back, Rhodes responded on Twitter that he never received a raise during his time there and has no desire to “sit on the bench doing nothing.” He stated he has done the best work of his career in AEW and believes the Goldust character has run its course. Rhodes, who joined AEW in 2019 after five separate WWE runs, now works as both a performer and coach, while also operating the Rhodes Wrestling Academy in Texas.

WWE Raw remains in Netflix global top ten for third straight week

Last week’s WWE Raw continued its strong run on Netflix, remaining in the global top ten for a third consecutive week. The February 16 episode drew 2.7 million global views and 4.9 million hours viewed, finishing ninth worldwide according to Tudum data. It ranked in the top ten across 16 countries and placed seventh overall in the United States. The episode, which featured Elimination Chamber qualifiers and major segments involving CM Punk, Finn Bálor, AJ Lee, and Becky Lynch, trailed only larger hits such as Reality Check: Inside America’s Top Model, which led the week with 14.2 million views.

Former Divas Champion Speaks Out After WWE 2K26 Snub

Kelly Kelly has reacted after being left off the WWE 2K26 roster, despite fan expectations that she would be included. With recent games leaning heavily into nostalgia and reports in 2025 suggesting she signed a WWE Legends contract, many assumed she would return as a playable character. However, when the full roster was revealed, her name was absent. Kelly responded lightheartedly on Twitter, joking about the omission and suggesting fans might need to start a petition over the snub.