Rumor Roundup (Nov. 11, 2023): CM Punk return, NXT vs. AEW, LA Knight heat, War Games, 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:

• This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that “Basically every rumor out there has been denied to us” regarding CM Punk potentially returning to WWE. WON states that “Those in creative have not been told of anything involving him and those who would normally be in the know about these things, including on the big surprises like Cody Rhodes stuff before anyone else, don’t know anything.”
• Per The Observer, while WWE is still not interested in bringing Punk back right now, there are three factors that could cause their decision to change. The first is “if they feel they need a business jolt.” The second is “if they smell blood on the AEW carcass, the Punk move on television can be their shark response.” Finally, WON was “outright told” that WWE might give Punk a shot “if there is a perceived demand from the fans.”
• A WWE source told Haus of Wrestling that the internal belief in the company is “NXT viewership will consistently outdraw AEW Dynamite next year, especially when they move to The CW.”
• More specifically, it’s believed The CW will “help attract a younger and more influential audience” compared to Dynamite’s audience on an “aging cable channel.” The internal optimism about NXT outperforming Dynamite is also driven by signs “the AEW product is cold,” which includes dwindling ticket sales to their live events.
• On his Fightful Select Backstage Report podcast, Sean Ross Sapp said when he asked around about reports of heat on LA Knight he was told “it was about some disagreement about how much merch was brought to some of the overseas shows, because not a lot was brought over. I was told that was it, and that’s what led to that particular story.”
• According to WrestleVotes, the Women’s War Games match at Survivor Series is listed as “Iyo Sky, Bayley, Kairi Sane & Asuka vs Bianca, Charlotte and Shotzi,” with a fourth member for the babyfaces not listed yet.
• F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer was told the idea of Drew McIntyre joining The Judgment Day’s team at War Games is “under consideration and could happen.”
• Prior to last night’s SmackDown, BWE said WWE’s plans for Karrion Kross have once again been postponed: “His story was planned after [SummerSlam]. Postponed for [Crown Jewel]. Postponed again. I do not have further info.”

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.