WWE: Backstage Update on Potential Rey Mysterio In-Ring Retirement Plans, Michael Hayes Reveals Triple H Wants Bobby Roode To Be His Successor Backstage, Ari Emanuel Addresses WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Event Status Amid Growing Saudi Arabia Security & Safety Concerns

Backstage Update on Potential Rey Mysterio In-Ring Retirement Plans

As noted before, WWE has recently been having talks regarding Rey Mysterio potentially having his in-ring wrestling career retirement in 2027.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that the rumors of WWE holding a retirement tour for Mysterio in 2027 similar to John Cena is “quite possible.”

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Michael Hayes Reveals Triple H Wants Bobby Roode To Be His Successor Backstage

A recent episode of the What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon podcast featured WWE producer Michael Hayes as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Hayes’ thoughts about a conversation he had with WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque over Levesque wanting him to train Bobby Roode to be the next “Michael Hayes” backstage in WWE.

“But yeah, I just made up my mind that this is your new path, and go for it. And I’ll tell you, Trips came up to me one day and he goes, ‘So Michael, you know you’re not gonna be around forever.’ You’re our Pat Patterson. I need you to make Bobby Roode ‘Michael.’”

Hayes also gave his thoughts about how he was in agreement with the idea and gave his praise of Roode’s work backstage in WWE.

“And I said, ‘Okay, that’s a really good point, because I’m not gonna be here forever.’ And boy, has he come along. No, I see great things for him. He’s just gotta get out of the stuff where, I don’t know how to really categorize it. This stuff happens in this industry that’s just out of your control, and it’s just gonna happen. And you just gotta kind of let it go and say, ‘Okay.’”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com

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Ari Emanuel Addresses WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Event Status Amid Growing Saudi Arabia Security & Safety Concerns

WWE is still currently scheduled to be holding their Crown Jewel 2026 event on November 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This upcoming event’s status in Saudi Arabia had been uncertain following the United States Department issuing an official update this past September to their existing Level 3 travel advisory in regards to Saudi Arabia over the on-going Iran War. The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh had issued a new security alert earlier this month warning their citizens in the country following missile attacks from the Houthis on the King Khalid International airport in Riyadh that left several dead. The U.S. State Department had issued an order this past Tuesday requiring all non-essential diplomatic personnel and their family members to leave Saudi Arabia immediately due to the growing violate situation.

FOX News held a recent interview with TKO Group CEO Ari Emanuel. One of the topics discussed included Emanuel’s thoughts about the current status of WWE’s upcoming Crown Jewel 2026 event in Saudi Arabia and the concerns surrounding TKO’s upcoming events in Riyadh.

“Right now, everything is still set. This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi, we have a UFC fight. We have in the middle of November a Frieze art show. So far so good. Nothing’s been cancelled.

We have a whole team kind of working on this, and if that doesn’t happen, where we can move it. It’s a daily monitoring.”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com