Rumor Roundup (June 3, 2023): CM Punk return, AEW vs. NXT, Anarchy in the Arena, Carlito, 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:

• According to Fightful Select, in the immediate aftermath of CM Punk’s tirade at the All Out 2022 media scrum, several AEW wrestlers said they would leave the company if Punk was allowed back. However, things backstage have “cooled off” since then. It doesn’t sound like anyone is planning to walk out due to his upcoming return.
• The site goes on to add Jay White’s name to the list of wrestlers who could be early opponents for Punk after he returns to AEW for the launch of Collision.
• Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer said AEW wasn’t hurt by WWE’s decision to book NXT Battleground head-to-head against Double or Nothing. It appears that “NXT viewership was significantly down from the previous two NXT specials.” In other words, WWE’s strategy backfired.
• PW Insider Elite claims that “Carlito was spotted in Orlando” this week. The site heard “he was in town for WWE,” but it’s not clear for what purpose.
• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that AEW had less time to prepare for this year’s Anarchy in the Arena match due to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas hosting an NHL playoff game the night before. The WON also says “a lot of ideas” for the match were “shut down” by the venue “because of things that happened in last year’s match.”
• The Young Bucks’ Matt Jackson had to get a Nevada State Fire Performers license in order to do the exploding superkick spot in Anarchy in the Arena, per WON.
• The Observer also mentioned that WWE is discussing Sept. 9 as the date for “the first major show in years in India.”

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.