Rumor Roundup (April 13, 2023): CM Punk/AEW return talks, Trish Stratus plans, Fight Forever release, 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:

• CM Punk has expressed his desire to return to AEW, per a report from Fightful Select. He’s “laid out numerous scenarios in which he’d return”, including for a program with The Elite, but “at least as of a few months ago, [Kenny] Omega and [The Young] Bucks didn’t seem keen on doing that”. It’s mentioned that it’s possible The Elite’s stance has changed as part of their own contract negotiations, however.
• Another Punk proposal would see him “keep completely separate from the Elite”. Some of Fightful’s sources on the roster think a rumored Saturday AEW show could be a way to accomplish that, but no one in management mentioned that scenario.
• Finally, Fightful was “told Punk has been open to working elsewhere, though we’re not sure if that means within the auspices of AEW such as Ring of Honor, or the likes of WWE and NJPW.”
• A copy of Vince McMahon’s new WWE employment contract got into The Hollywood Reporter’s hands, and it states that “‘McMahon’s continued employment shall be conditioned on’ compliance with the company’s ‘Conflict of Interest and Code of Conduct,’ as well as its ‘Equal Opportunity and Non-Harassment Policy,’ among other terms.”
• WWE still plans to hold off until SummerSlam for the Becky Lynch vs. Trish Status match that was set-up by Stratus’ heel turn on Raw, per Wrestling Observer Radio.
• A manager with AEW: Fight Forever publisher THQ Nordic who goes by “Zyddie” online was asked on Twitter about talk the video game is finished and just awaiting a release date. They replied “if you want an unfinished game sure we could release now”.
• In a subsequent Twitch stream, Zyddie explained that comments from Tony Khan and Kenny Omega about Fight Forever being ready don’t mean they “lied” or are evidence of “miscommunication”, but are a case of the AEW execs looking “at it differently because they don’t look at it through the eyes of a publisher.”
• Billie Starkz has signed with AEW, per Tony Schiavone on his podcast.

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.