In this WrestleTalk News, CM Punk blackballed from WWE, Braun Strowman’s AEW meeting,
major heat from fans on an ex-WWE star and more.
Give us a subscribe and enable notifications to always on or I’ll tell Tony to turn this
signing car right around and nobody will get any CM Punk or Daniel Bryan.
It’s on you now if they don’t debut.
Last week saw several of the most exciting days in wrestling from the last decade.
Not only did fans return for WWE shows to watch their hometown stars lose, reports also
started to emerge about the only industry shaking free agent signings still available
for our markey hearts.
And now I can confirm it’s 100% happening…
Emi Sakura to AEW confirmed.
That’s right, everyone’s favourite Freddie Mercury-cosplaying Joshi has announced she’s
booked a one-way ticket to America, suggesting she’s joined AEW’s women’s division
full time ahead of their second weekly show launching next month.
I know, I know, there’s two almost as big names being reported on right now: Daniel
Bryan, and CM Punk.
Now I’ve had a running gag on this channel for about four years now where regardless
of who a signing story is about, I will end it on some variation of Phil Brooks’ wrestling
name to some wrestling promotion confirmed.
There have been many false starts over the years.
Punk seemingly set to sign with AEW ahead of All Out 2019.
His culture-changing stint on WWE Backstage.
And that time 5 Star Wrestling offered him $1 million for a match in 2017.
So, like I said on last Thursday’s AEW review podcast - that catchphrase will not pass these
lips again until CM Punk is officially announced by All Elite Wrestling or turns up on Dynamite.
With that in mind, let’s have a look at today’s stories.
AEW co-executive vice presidents the Young Bucks have made their latest jokey update
to their Twitter bios, with it currently reading: Are the rumors true?
I don’t know.
We just hope they’ll take our finish well.
TWO CRYING WITH LAUGHTER FACE EMOJIS They’re of course referring to the rumors
of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk signing with AEW, and how they’ll beat them.
Back down, Bucks.
They’re first feuds have to be with Cody.
It’s the law.
CM Punk re-ahhh….
Konnan, who’s been managing Santana and Ortiz in AEW as of late, recently said on
his Keeping It 100 podcast that he asked AEW President Tony Khaaaaaaan whether Bryan really
is joining the company, as he’d like to use him in the Mexican promotion he books,
AAA.
“He goes, ‘You know I can’t tell you that’ and then I looked at him and I go
‘bro, if that **** shows up in Chicago, that place is gonna melt’, and he just smiled.
So I think he might have but he has not told me.”
CM Punk to AE-God dammit, that one’s not even about him.
If you head over to social media, though, you might have noticed 1980s funk metal band
Living Color have started following All Elite Wrestling on Twitter.
Which is notable, because they are the band that sings Punk’s Cult of Personality entrance
music he used in both WWE and for his brief UFC run - which he first debuted on the 25th
July episode of Monday Night Raw, returning from leaving the company at Money in the Bank
2011, exactly 10 years ago yesterday.
CM…
Quick, cut to the sponsor, I’ll be right back with an actual news story that says Punk…
is 100%... signed...
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Since Fightful Select broke the news last Wednesday that CM Punk was in talks to return
to the ring somewhere - most likely AEW - Ringside News added that as of right now, it is a “done
deal” and both sides are just “waiting until they are in person to sign the contract.”
Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net, who was the person who broke the story about Daniel Bryan
signing with AEW, has corroborated that, saying he was told that Punk is “100% for Chicago’s
[All Out].
They want CM Punk in Chicago.
They want him to be there.
It’s not a matter if, but when.
You know they have [Wednesday 1st’s] Dynamite, they have [Friday 3rd’s] Rampage, and they
have [Sunday 5th’s] All Out.”
Would you rather Punk debuted for AEW on the Dynamite before the pay-per-view, as the big
go-home angle to drive viewership for Rampage and buys for All Out?
Or just have him as a surprise appearance at the pay-per-view itself?
Whatever way, tell me CM Punk to AEW co-oh god dammit.
In the comments down below, because I’ll be replying to as many people as I can for
the first 30 minutes after this video goes live FROM OUTTA NOWHERE.
With Punk and Bryan’s AEW debuts reportedly being a ‘done deal’ by this point, the
main question now is becoming: how?
There are two conflicting versions of this.
Dave Meltzer has written on the Wrestling Observer Forum that Bryan’s AEW talks go
back a few months, but he’s been holding off on making a decision until recently to
see what WWE would come up with.
It was reported in June that WWE President Nick Khan was in talks to establish a working
relationship with New Japan, as a way to keep Bryan happy if he agreed a new deal with them.
Whichever promotion out of WWE and AEW got the New Japan talent exchange was apparently
“90%” of where Bryan would end up.
The WWE and New Japan talks obviously didn’t work out, as last Wednesday’s Dynamite saw
a New Japan title change hands in the main event between two AEW contracted wrestlers.
BodySlam.net, however, claims Meltzer couldn’t have known about Bryan and AEW in May, as
talks between Bryan and AEW didn’t actually start “until about 2 or 3 weeks ago” - although
they were having talks internally.
This was reportedly when they decided to debut Bryan on the 22nd September Dynamite show
in New York, which was still the plan before the weekend.
But as great as long term booking is, the card is always subject to change.
Especially when CM Punk might sign too.
BodySlam.net claims the “Punk stuff happened after Bryan”, which has “kinda thrown
a wrench into how they want to present everything.
Now they’ve got to reformat everything… [to] capitalize off this buzz.”
Which might mean they bring Bryan’s debut forward too.
With CM Punk seemingly set for an AEW debut, it was speculated WWE might make a last minute
play for him.
Not so according to Ringside News, who claim they were explicitly told by their sources
in the company: “WWE has no interest in doing business with Punk.”
This ties in with reports over the last couple of years that Vince McMahon has blackballed
Punk from the company.
He reportedly immediately shoots down Punk’s name in creative meeting pitches, saying he
is “not to be trusted and has serious issues,” labelling him as the “one man I just can’t
do business with” - even when Punk’s agent tried to have WWE return talks in 2019.
But why stop at Bryan and Punk?
More talent signing tease segway…
Last Friday saw a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship show take place in Florida, with more unsigned
pro wrestlers in the crowd than a pre-pandemic NXT TakeOver.
The most notable of these was Braun Strowman, who was shockingly released by WWE last month
- with the official Bare Knuckle Twitter account posting a picture of Strowman joking he’s
their new signee… while Braun was wearing a fanny pack.
You can take the guy out of the pro wrestling…
Strowman revealed on his own Instagram that Dana Brooke’s finance, the boxer Ulysses
Diaz, got him tickets for the show.
Potentially rather awkwardly, current WWE stars Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux
were also at the event.
Kross lost in two minutes to a roll up shortly after this photo was taken.
Jinder Mahal was also said to be at the show.
But there was also a significant AEW presence at the event, with F4WOnline reporting Tony
Khan, Paul Wight, Britt Baker, Christian Cage and Cash Wheeler were all there.
It was reported last week WWE might try to re-sign Strowman, as they’re concerned he
could also sign with AEW.
Speaking of Kross, Andrew Zarian is reporting he was told that WWE has a clear direction
for the current NXT champion following his much-criticised loss to Jeff Hardy last week.
That two minute roll up was just the start of whatever storyline they have in mind, and
it is leading to something.
Hopefully that something isn’t being part of all the jobbers running after the 24/7
title.
But if those plans involve Kross getting his win back over Hardy, it won’t be happening
anytime soon - as it’s been announced Jeff tested positive for COVID on Sunday morning.
This wasn’t disclosed by WWE, as they appear to have a policy of keeping such diagnoses
private, but by the venue recordBAR, which was hosting an autograph signing with Hardy
before today’s episode of Raw - adding Jeff “will have to quarantine for the next two
weeks, and will not be participating in any live events for the next two weeks.”
As All Elite Wrestling has shown, there is life outside WWE now.
That doesn’t always work out, though, as Matt Cardona, the former Zack Ryder in WWE,
who was released by them last April, didn’t have his run over the Summer extended there.
Impressively, Cardona has now reinvented himself on the independent scene, specifically in
a fascinating character turn for GCW, feuding with their Champion Nick Gage.
Cardona has effectively turned himself into the trolliest of heels, even playing Jericho’s
Judas entrance music during his match last night, despite Jericho not being there.
After a bloody battle with Gage, because is there any other, with both men being cut to
shreds by numerous exploding light tube shots, Cardona won the GCW World Championship - which
caused a near riot from the crowd, as this video from @EFFYLives on Twitter shows, with
a bloodied Cardona being pelted with bottles and cups as he celebrated.
Dave Meltzer was not a fan of the scene, tweeting: “I'm sure people will make their lame excuses
for it, or say how great the heat was, but this crowd reaction was such b****** and such
an embarrassment to the industry.”
A tweet, which GCW immediately released as a t-shirt.
And in another effective heel move, Mark Sterling is now teasing Cardona will rename the GCW
World Championship the GCW Universal Championship.
El Fack-e-door Laurie’s Aleister/Malaki Black Explained video essay is now live for
everyone to watch on partsFUNknown, and it’s already being widely praised - including
by
the man himself.