Rumor Roundup (Mar. 25, 2023): CM Punk apology & AEW return, Lesnar secret, Bad Bunny, 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:

• Even though CM Punk initially considered legal action and wanted out of his AEW contract after the backstage fight at All Out 2022, Fightful Select heard that talks between Punk and AEW had been progressing well lately, and he was open to a return.
• Several people close to the situation said Punk expressed regret for his media scrum tirade after All Out, and at least one person believes he’s willing to apologize for it.
• However, sources within AEW are no longer confident that Punk will return to the promotion after he buried Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley on Instagram this week.
• More details on the All Out backstage fight have been revealed, including a second person besides Nick Jackson being hit with a chair. It’s believed to be a production employee.
• Punk and Kenny Omega apparently spoke to each right after the fight in a composed manner, with CM telling Kenny that he had no issues with him.
• The site also mentions that Punk thought he could be medically cleared from his torn triceps by the end of January. It’s believed that he should be cleared for an in-ring return very soon, if he’s not already cleared.
• Regarding talk of Brock Lesnar’s future with WWE beyond WrestleMania 39, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter says only a handful of people — Vince McMahon, Triple H, Nick Khan, and maybe two others — know about his plans. Everything about Brock and what he’s doing is considered a secret.
• WrestleVotes told GiveMeSport that Bad Bunny recently had a training session with Damian Priest and Jamie Noble in order to prepare for something physical at either WrestleMania 39 or WWE Backlash in Puerto Rico.
• The Observer also says WWE officials haven’t been happy with NXT crowds lately. They sent a memo to talent and crew encouraging them to bring family and friends to this week’s double taping “to help bring energy to the crowd in the final shows leading up to Stand & Deliver.”
• WWE filed a trademark for “NXT Battleground”.

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.