Some big time rumors surrounding The Rock’s return just hit reports, so we’ll see what’s
being said there.
We’ll also check out the latest regarding Sheamus, CM Punk, and more
Let’s start things off with The Rock and the new rumors that are circulating for the
Elimination Chamber premium live event set for next February
Speculation is swirling around WWE's potential blockbuster plans for the upcoming Elimination
Chamber event in Australia, with talk suggesting that The Rock could make a special appearance
as a precursor to his anticipated WrestleMania 40 showdown with Roman Reigns.
However, it's crucial to emphasize that this remains purely conjecture at this juncture.
While The Rock hinted at a potential return for WrestleMania 40 against Reigns earlier
this month and made a surprise cameo at the September 15 SmackDown in Denver, occasional
appearances and a People's Elbow or two don't equate to full-fledged wrestling preparation.
Another factor in play is the resolution of the Writers Guild of America strike, which
is expected to conclude soon, potentially opening the floodgates for The Rock's acting
commitments.
Studios may be eager to kickstart their projects after months of dormancy, and this could result
in a busy schedule for the Hollywood megastar.
Considering these elements, there's a reasonable likelihood that The Rock may need to postpone
his retirement match if other professional obligations take precedence.
Additionally, WWE's interest in utilizing The Rock at the Australian Elimination Chamber,
with the associated risk of injury ahead of WrestleMania, appears counterintuitive.
Perth, where the event would take place, operates on a time zone 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard
Time in the United States.
Unless WWE intends to host the Elimination Chamber at an exceedingly early hour in Australia,
The Rock's return would not align with prime-time viewing in the U.S.
In all likelihood, WWE will schedule the event for the Australian evening, translating to
an early-morning broadcast for American audiences—hardly an ideal scenario for a monumental return
that has been a decade in the making.
Furthermore, WWE's capacity to sell tickets for a one-off event in Australia remains unquestionable,
whether or not The Rock participates.
The prevailing consensus suggests that if he does make a return, it will be reserved
for WrestleMania and WrestleMania alone.
it’s interesting to hear that rumors are circulating for The Rock to potentially have
a warm-up match at Elimination Chamber that could get him ready for Wrestlemania
There are several good candidates to face the rock in this hypothetical warm-up match
We saw The Rock ignite some issues with Austin Theory when he made his return in September
Austin Theory may still be a young superstar, but he has lots of great experience working
with everyone from Stone Cold Steve Austin, to John Cena, to Vince McMahon himself
So WWE could definitely end up trusting him to work this match with The Rock
Another potential option is definitely Grayson Waller
Grayson had been taking jabs towards the Rock several weeks before The Rock even made his
return to WWE
So WWE could capitalize off of what Grayson started there with a match
It looks like Grayson Waller is even trying to manifest this match up himself
Grayson already addressed the rumors that The Rock was coming to elimination chamber
and had this to say on Twitter about that report, quote:
“Don’t be silly and try to come to Australia Dwayne, we want you to be healthy in April.”
end quote
So Grayson is wasting no time at all addressing all the rumors and really jumping on everything
that comes out related to The Rock
Grayson Waller is also Australian himself, so having a match of his magnitude in his
home country would obviously be a big deal for him
Now after this report came out and was picking up steam, several new reports came out saying
that there’s allegedly no truth to the elimination chamber rumors for The Rock
So lots of conflicting reports there regarding this potential warmup match for The Rock before
Wrestlemania 40
We’ll have to see what ends up happening there
———————
Sheamus has been conspicuously absent from WWE programming since his loss to Edge on
August 18, and it appears that this hiatus is not part of any storyline.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Sheamus has been sidelined due to a
significant shoulder injury, casting doubt on his return timetable.
Meltzer remarked, "By the way, Sheamus, unfortunately, suffered a severe shoulder injury.
This explains his absence from both TV broadcasts and house shows."
Even prior to his bout against Edge, Sheamus had been sparingly utilized in WWE.
In the entirety of July, he participated in only four matches, with a solitary one-on-one
match preceding his encounter with Edge in August.
Notably, WWE had not featured Sheamus in their house show circuit since July 2, when he secured
a victory over Karrion Kross in the United Kingdom.
This suggests that his shoulder ailment has likely been an ongoing concern, preceding
the loss to Edge.
While the exact timing of the injury remains unclear, it seems improbable that it transpired
during the match with Edge, given his earlier limited in-ring appearances.
Furthermore, Sean Ross of Fightful reported that Sheamus' WWE contract is set to expire
early in 2024.
Having been a part of the company since 2006 and maintaining a close rapport with Triple
H, Sheamus's contractual negotiations may encounter uncertainty due to Endeavor's majority
ownership, and the impact it might have on talent agreements, remains uncertain.
——————
Rumors continue to run wild regarding CM Punk's potential WWE comeback, but it appears that
his former employer may not be enthusiastic about such a prospect.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Punk doesn't exactly have a fan club
among WWE executives.
Meltzer offered insight, stating, "There's a lot of lingering animosity towards CM Punk
within WWE management.
In contrast, there doesn't seem to be any negative sentiment towards Matt Riddle."
Punk's recent departure from AEW stemmed from a backstage altercation with Jack Perry.
This exit marked the culmination of a turbulent tenure for Punk in AEW, where his presence
often generated as many challenges as it did headlines.
WWE has a history of discord with Punk, including his infamous firing on his wedding day and
the fallout from a revealing podcast with Colt Cabana that resulted in legal disputes.
Punk's relationship with Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H and the current WWE head
of creative, was marked by tension during Punk's earlier tenure.
While the notion of a CM Punk return might have seemed implausible during the McMahon
family's reign over WWE, the landscape has shifted.
Endeavor now possesses a majority stake in the wrestling promotion and may perceive significant
financial potential in Punk's return.
It's noteworthy that Punk departed UFC on amicable terms following an unsuccessful stint
in MMA, potentially paving the way for Endeavor to greenlight a WWE return for Punk, even
without the blessing of the current management team.
As far as where the WWE superstars stand for when it comes to CM Punk’s WWE return, some
superstars on board with the return, while others don’t want Punk back at all
Montez Ford recently made headlines when he said that he was open to seeing CM Punk return
to WWE and how he hopes it happens
While Seth Rollins has been very vocal in the past about how he doesn’t want CM Punk
anywhere near the WWE
Well funny enough, there was a light CM Punk reference on the September 25th edition of
Raw that came from Seth Rollins himself
While exchanging some words and speaking on his feud with Nakamura, Seth Rollins went
ahead and called himself ‘the best in the world’
Now in regular everyday-talk, someone calling themselves the best in the world may be a
normal thing that no one really bats an eye at
But in the wrestling universe, ‘The Best In The World’ was a line made famous by
CM Punk and was a crucial part of his character and presentation
It was all over his T-shirts, his entrance videos…
just everywhere you looked, that phase was always attached to CM Punk in some way
So when Seth Rollins used that line, it instantly caught the fans attention as a potential nod
to CM Punk
There’s a lot of uncertainty and conflicting reports CM Punk, but when they give apparent
little nods to him on WWE television like that, it’s definitely gonna keep the conversation
going
But what are your thoughts on today’s stories?
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