Rumor Roundup (Aug. 19, 2023): CM Punk backstage drama, WWE Payback, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 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:

• One person told the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that CM Punk was “ranting like a mad man” when he confronted Ryan Nemeth in the AEW locker room. One of the things Punk apparently said to Nemeth was “Do we have a problem or are we good or do we have to take it outside.”
• However, someone else told WON that Punk was “handling business like a man” and “all was taken care of and things were settled.” Punk and Nemeth shook hands and it looked like the situation was smoothed over regarding Ryan’s tweet referring to CM as “the softest man alive.”
• The Observer says the phrase “to keep the peace” was used to explain why Hangman Page was told not to go the Collision taping at the Greensboro Coliseum after initially being booked for the taping.
• One person told WON that Punk “didn’t even know Page was in Greensboro to begin with” when he took shots at him after Collision went off the air.
• F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer claims that Roman Reigns will not work WWE’s Payback premium live event on Sept. 2.
• Furthermore, the brother versus brother match between Jimmy and Jey Uso is “being held off for more build time and likely a bigger show.”
• PW Insider says Warner Bros Discovery was “thrilled” with the partnership that led to AEW Dynamite’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch, and “will be seeking out additional potential opportunities in that vein.”

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.