Rumor Roundup (Oct. 7, 2023): CM Punk WWE return, Fastlane mystery partner, LA Knight, Jade Cargill, 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:

• A WWE source told Haus of Wrestling it’s a “safe bet” that CM Punk will be at next month’s Survivor Series event that takes place just outside of Chicago.
• Per Fightful Select, it sounds like Punk still has a lot of heat with people in WWE, and the belief is he would have to make things right with multiple top stars like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns if he is going to return.
• Someone on the WWE side told Fightful that Punk knows he would get “his ass handed to him” if he tried to “pull any of his shit here.”
• Meanwhile, one AEW top star was skeptical that Punk will go back to WWE given the disparaging way Punk talked about Triple H, Vince McMahon, and WWE prior to Brawl Out.
• BWE indicated that WWE has big plans for LA Knight’s push after tonight’s Fastlane premium live event.
• According to PW Insider, Jade Cargill has been spotted in Indianapolis, the host city for Fastlane. In addition to Fastlane, Jade is also expected to be in attendance at WWE’s Raw and SmackDown tapings next week.
• Insider was told by WWE sources that the LWO injury angle on last night’s SmackDown was done as a way to bring Carlito back on TV after he signed with WWE over the summer. It sounds like Carlito will be Santos Escobar and Rey Mysterio’s mystery partner at Fastlane.
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that Erik of the Viking Riders is expected to be out for six months following surgery, so Ivar will be pushed as a singles wrestler for the time being.
• While discussing stains on The Ryback Show, The Ryback said the only time he wore a white singlet in WWE was for a Fastlane pay-per-view match against the Wyatt family. The Big Guy went on to say, “Whoever made it, it was made a little snugger than the other ones...that one would ride up right into my ass.” Ryback did not confirm or deny the existence of any related stains on the white singlet, though he did say that if a wrestling fan offered him five million dollars to buy his house, he would gladly leave the singlet behind for them.

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.