49ers' Kittle Eyes WWE WrestleMania; Mysterio Talks Retirement; Trish Stratus Rumors

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

George Kittle Talks WrestleMania 41 Plans

San Francisco 49ers superstar tight end George Kittle has made his presence felt at WrestleMania in the past, and that could be the case once again this year.

Prior to attending Monday night’s episode of Raw in Nashville, Tennessee, Kittle spoke to Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) last week and talked a bit about his love for wrestling.

When asked about his plans for WrestleMania 41, which will be held in Las Vegas on April 19 and 20, Kittle said, “I’ll be there in Las Vegas. I’m there.”

Kittle is a longtime pro wrestling fan who has been shown in the front row at many WWE events over the years.

Prior to Monday’s Raw, Penta competed in a match on Main Event, and Kittle got into the ring to celebrate him afterward, as Kittle is a huge fan of Penta and even does his “Cero Miedo” hand gesture after picking up first downs.

The greatest impact made by Kittle at a pro wrestling show came a couple of years ago at WrestleMania 39, though.

During an impromptu match between The Miz and Pat McAfee, Kittle jumped the barricade and hit Miz with a big clothesline, thus helping McAfee pick up the victory.

It remains to be seen if Kittle will get physical again at WrestleMania 41, but a career in wrestling could be in his future once he is done with football.

When asked by Fitz about possibly wrestling in the future, Kittle said, “Triple H has my number,” in reference to the WWE Hall of Fame wrestler and current head of WWE creative.

Kittle is a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time First Team All-Pro coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, so it doesn’t feel as though his football career is going to come to an end any time soon.

However, the 31-year-old superstar is working on putting together a Hall of Fame résumé, so there is little doubt that WWE will have significant interest in Kittle once he hangs up his cleats for good.

Rey Mysterio Discusses Future Retirement Plans

Rey Mysterio divulged this week that when he decides to retire from pro wrestling, he plans to announce it ahead of time, similar to what John Cena is doing with his 2025 retirement tour.

During an interview with Adrian Hernandez (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Mysterio said the following about his future retirement plans and why he wants to give his fans a heads up before he does decide to call it quits:

“No, I would love to make an announcement. I would love for the fans who have grown up watching me and supported my career from Day One—because there are still many around—to have the chance to say, ‘Hey, this is his last time performing. I want to go see it.’

“I want to give that opportunity to the fans who have been loyal from the beginning. Before, I thought I would just retire one day, but when you start thinking about it, it’s a hard thing to do. I know that time is a lot closer now than it was yesterday, so I have to mentally prepare myself.”

Mysterio, 50, is arguably the greatest luchador of all time, and he is still going strong 35 years after making his in-ring debut.

On Monday night’s episode of Raw, Mysterio competed in a spectacular Elimination Chamber qualifying match against Logan Paul, proving that he is still capable of performing at the highest level.

New Day attacked Mysterio after the match, and while WWE hasn’t teased it yet, it feels as though it could potentially lead to Penta coming to Mysterio’s aid and teaming with him against New Day at WrestleMania 41.

Mysterio is a WWE legend in every sense of the world, having held three world titles in addition to being a three-time United States champion, two-time intercontinental champion, five-time tag team champion and one-time Royal Rumble winner.

While few wrestlers are on a similar level as Cena, a strong argument can be made that Mysterio is based on what he has done in WWE, what he did previously in WCW and the reverence fans have for him in Mexico.

Cena’s retirement tour is a huge deal and figures to create some memorable and emotional moments along the way, and if Mysterio follows a similar path, the same will likely be said for him.

Stratus Reportedly Could Make More WWE Appearances

WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus made a surprise return as an entrant in the women’s Royal Rumble match this month, and that reportedly may not be all she does with the company.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), additional Stratus appearances have been discussed within WWE, particularly in relation to the March 1 Elimination Chamber premium live event, which will take place in her hometown of Toronto.

Fightful added that Stratus frequently pitches storyline ideas for herself to WWE, which suggests that the 49-year-old veteran remains very much interested in being involved with the product.

Stratus, who is a seven-time women’s champion, last had an extended WWE run in the spring and summer of 2023.

She teamed with Lita and Becky Lynch to beat Damage CTRL at WrestleMania 39, but she later turned on Lynch and became a heel in the process.

Prior to the Rumble, her last bout was a steel cage match against Lynch at Payback 2023, which was well received by fans.

Stratus was seemingly back to being a babyface in the Rumble, and she had an impressive performance, lasting over 13 minutes and recording one elimination after entering at No. 25.

Trish showed that she is still capable of excelling in the ring despite approaching her 50th birthday, so it won’t be at all surprising if WWE is willing to book her in more matches.

Even if a match isn’t in the cards, getting Stratus involved with Elimination Chamber in Toronto in some way is a surefire way to pop the fans.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.