Rumor Roundup (Aug. 5, 2022): CM Punk return, Bayley plan, IYO SKY name, more!

Speculating on the rumors surrounding pro wrestling is a favored pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to actually watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors being churned out by the pro wrestling rumor mill.

Important reminder: Rumors are just that — rumors. None of this has been confirmed as fact, it’s just circulating around the pro wrestling rumor mill. We track rumor accuracy in a weekly feature called Rumor Look Back you can find here. Remember, take it all with a grain of salt.

Rumors for the Day:

• Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer said CM Punk “was hurting pretty bad” as of two weeks ago. It seems doubtful that he’ll be ready to return to AEW for September’s All Out pay-per-view in Chicago.
• PW Insider indicated there were “no concrete plans” for Bayley to appear at SummerSlam prior to Triple H taking over WWE creative.
• Insider also says the decision to bring Io Shirai and Dakota Kai to SummerSlam were last minute calls. Kai did not travel to Nashville until the night before, and WWE did not file a trademark on the ring name IYO SKY until July 31.
• WWE’s SummerSlam tryouts were a disaster, according to Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez. He said there were a ton of injuries, including several concussions. Independent wrestlers were not allowed at the tryouts, but that will likely change in the future.
• Fightful says Tony Khan and Blake Christian reached an agreement that links him to Ring of Honor, though it’s not clear yet if it is a full-time deal.

If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you’d like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Just remember they are rumors and not confirmed as fact, so please take them as such. And check our weekly Rumor Look Back here to keep track of how often rumors turn out to be correct.