Rumor Roundup (Sept. 19, 2023): WWE contract negotiations, CM Punk, Jade Cargill, 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:

• Like LA Knight, Edge and Drew McIntyre are “not close on money” in their negotiations with WWE on new deals. That per Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer.
• Asking around about the possibility of CM Punk returning to WWE, Haus of Wrestling couldn’t find anyone “in WWE or with knowledge of the situation who has ruled it out.”
• While Nick Hausman says there isn’t the internal buzz for Punk that there was when Cody Rhodes became available, and WWE’s hot product means they don’t necessarily need a big name signing right now, “multiple sources made it clear to me that they saw WWE and Punk working together as a possibility if good business can be done.”
• People close to Jade Cargill told Fightful Select she was treated well as she left AEW and there doesn’t seem to be any ill will. Cargill received an ovation backstage after her last match, and AEW reportedly made giving her a nice sendoff a priority. Still, the site says she’s expected to sign with WWE this week.
• In their latest post on WWE’s post-merger layoffs, PW Insider says several current and now-former WWE employees told them “this ‘wouldn’t have happened’ under Stephanie McMahon’s watch.” The site acknowledges that’s an emotional statement that doesn’t reflect business realities, but shared it as evidence of how highly thought of Steph was as a leader at the company.
• In an email shared with Insider, Nick Khan told remaining WWE employees the layoffs were done. BWE shared a snippet of an internal message Khan sent about a Tuesday all hands meeting which read, “We look forward to being able to all get together in person at our new offices, and we look forward to our next chapter together.”
• PW Insider also reports there will be tryouts at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando this week. The only confirmed name so far if Brogan Finlay, son of WWE’s Dave “Fit” Finlay and brother of New Japan’s current Bullet Club leader David Finlay.

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.