WrestleMania 42 was just a few weeks ago and Backlash is already upon us this weekend with four matches announced. Following his in-ring retirement in December, John Cena returned to WWE to host both nights of “The Showcase of the Immortals”. He says his segment with Danhausen was one of his favorite moments. It seems as though he just can’t stay away from the squared circle, even if he’s not competing inside of it because we now know when “Never Seen Seventeen” will return to the promotion.

Cena posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that he’ll be returning this Saturday at Backlash. He also teased some news, writing “after months of planning and effort, I am SO excited to break some history-making news! I can’t promise it’ll be perfect but I can promise it will change the WWE experience for Superstars and fans!”

It’s official! I’m headed to #WWEBacklash! After months of planning and effort, I am SO excited to break some history-making news! I can’t promise it’ll be perfect but I can promise it will change the WWE experience for Superstars and fans!

C U Live Saturday in Tampa or at home…

— John Cena (@JohnCena) May 4, 2026

He also reminded fans watching at home that Backlash will be airing on the ESPN app. As with WrestleMania, the first hour will air on ESPN 2 beginning at 6 PM ET. Roman Reigns will make his first title defense after winning the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. He’ll defend it against Jacob Fatu. On SmackDown, Nick Aldis told Danhausen to find a partner to take on Miz and Kit Wilson. Also confirmed is the long anticipated match between IYO SKY and. Asuka. Seth Rollins will finally face off against Bron Breakker.

WWE’s Seth Rollins has discussed the recent injuries he has suffered and how difficult it was for him to return to his old self.

Rollins has suffered a number of injuries over the last few years, including a Grade 2 MCL tear and a partially torn meniscus in 2024, which was a recurrence of an injury he originally suffered in 2015. He recently discussed the injuries and who he looked towards for inspiration during his appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

“That’s a hard injury to come back from. It’s really difficult. I mean, I’ll say, I did my ACL, MCL, and meniscus in 2015, and there’s so much uncertainty when you come back to work. Like, can you be the player that you thought, you know, that you want to be? Like, can you be that guy? It is hard to do,” he said. “And like, I remember, you know, my model was Adrian Peterson. That guy came back from a torn ACL and was better than ever. And I’m like, if he can do that at that position, with as much wear and tear that they put on themselves, running backs, like, okay, I think I can do this as well. I tried my best, and I felt after a little while, but it did take a few months to get to like, ‘Okay, I feel like Seth Rollins again.'”

Last year, Seth Rollins faked an injury to eventually cash in his contract on CM Punk and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but the injury bug struck again when he injured his shoulder later in the year. The injury sidelined Rollins for a few months, and he recovered just in time for his WrestleMania 42 match against GUNTHER, which he lost.

AJ Styles has discussed his experience of watching WWE WrestleMania 42 for the first time from the stands.

Styles, who recently retired from pro wrestling, was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year and was introduced to the crowd alongside the other inductees on night 1 of WrestleMania 42. The next night, he got to watch the show from the stands, which was a unique feeling for him.

“This was the first WrestleMania that I enjoyed as a fan. I literally, [on] Sunday night, I was able to sit in the stands and watch the show, and I personally really enjoyed it. Maybe it was because it was my first one in for so long that I didn’t have to worry about anything else. I didn’t know anything else, I had no idea what was going on the whole show. And so it kind of turned me into a fan again. And the truth is, I haven’t experienced that in a long time because I’m always [thinking] ‘Why don’t we do this?’ I’m always critiquing. I really enjoyed the show,” he said on “Phenomenally Retro.”

Styles revealed that he had never watched WrestleMania from the arena before joining WWE. Critics panned WrestleMania 42 for not delivering, with the only saving grace being the main event on night 2 between Roman Reigns and CM Punk. But “The Phenomenal One” enjoyed both nights and was thoroughly entertained from the stands.

“I thought it was great,” he said. “From what I saw, I was entertained. I really was, like, it’s WrestleMania. There’s a lot going on. There’s the entrances, and every entrance, you know, is pretty spectacular based on the fact that you have to walk a country mile to get to the ring. But that’s cool. That makes it different. I like that.”

The retired star recently stated that WrestleMania had lost its “luster,” which is why he retired at the Royal Rumble, but judging by his glowing tribute to this year’s show, “The Show of Shows” may have won him back.

AEW CEO Tony Khan has spoken proudly about his roster and the kind of wrestling they are putting on each week.

AEW has placed more emphasis on what happens in the ring than rivals like WWE and has, in the process, signed some of the best in-ring technicians in the world. Tony Khan recently stated on the “Battleground Podcast” that the current wrestling in AEW is some of the best in the company’s history.

“It’s a great thing to have so many awesome wrestlers under one roof and AEW is where the best wrestle, and that affords us the ability to bring in the best wrestlers. We’ve had so many of these great stars from the very beginning and the quality of the wrestling in AEW right now is the best it’s ever been and I really believe that,” declared Khan. “We have so many great stars that even when we lose a top star due to injury, so many top wrestlers come fighting for that spot and that’s what’s happening in AEW right now. Anytime there’s an opportunity, you’re seeing all the wrestlers come out of the woodwork looking to fight for the big championships.”

Khan’s roster is currently stacked with several excellent wrestlers, like Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, and Will Ospreay, as well as some promising young stars like Kyle Fletcher, whom some in the promotion believe will become a future great. 

There are a few standout wrestlers on the women’s roster as well, with Tony Khan recently praising Thekla, the AEW Women’s World Champion, who has made a big impression in the promotion in less than a year since arriving.

“WWE NXT” commentator and Hall of Famer Booker T has discussed a recent release, Luca Crusifino, and said that he saw something in him.

Crusifino was let go by WWE as part of the post-WWE WrestleMania 42 cuts, and he also announced his retirement from pro wrestling after his release. In his “Hall of Fame” show, Booker T said that Crusifino had the look of a wrestler, but being part of a group may have hindered his progress. 

“You know, I was looking at Luca Crusifino. He was one of the guys that was, you know, a part of Tony D’Angelo’s clique, and I always liked Crusifino. I didn’t like the name, you know, I thought — me personally — the name goes a long way as far as your star power at the same time,” he said. “But I thought Luca had something, you know, he definitely had the look. He definitely, you know, that airport test, like, type of thing — you saw this guy walking through the airport, you say, ‘Man, who’s this guy?’ But there again, I don’t think Luca really had a chance to, you know, get his footing being in a group. Not having that chance to really stand out, and that’s why I say you got to figure it out. You got to do something.”

Booker T noted how a wrestler’s outfit also goes a long way in becoming successful, explaining how he would often change his boots to keep himself fresh.

“It might be in your dress. Maybe you want to think about your outfits. Maybe you want to think about upgrading that a little bit,” he said. “I always had a different pair of boots on every week just because I had to make myself feel like a star in order for people to look at me like a star.”

The Hall of Famer gave the example of Jade Cargill to emphasize the importance of a person’s outfits. Crusifino made the switch to pro wrestling after his football career came to an end and has only wrestled in WWE.