WWE’s reaction to CM Punk, an update on Sasha Banks and Naomi, Randy Orton return plans, and more.
It’s Friday morning and what better way to start the day than getting caught up on all the latest wrestling news you need to know with our news bulletin for November 4, 2022.
WWE Reacts To CM Punk
This week’s AEW Dynamite saw the return to TV of Colt Cabana, who had been absent from AEW pretty much ever since CM Punk’s arrival.
It didn’t take much brain power to figure out those two things were probably directly related, and his comeback this week was taken as more evidence of that.
It wasn’t just fans who drew that connection, as it sounds like WWE had its own thoughts about the situation.
WrestleVotes tweeted:
Colt Cabana showing up on Dynamite last night didn’t go unnoticed in Stamford. That’s all I’ll say on that right now…
Obviously that’s a rather vague comment, but the implication would seem to be that WWE is well aware that Punk is going to be available to bring in should the company want to do so.
There seems to be a lot of back-and-forth on whether WWE would be interested in Punk, and whether Punk would be interested in WWE, but it really does seem like something we shouldn’t rule out right now.
As another side note on Cabana’s return, PWInsider actually reported that they’d heard there aren’t plans for Cabana to appear regularly on AEW TV and he’s still officially a member of the ROH roster.
Also, AEW actually released some new Christmas-themed merch for CM Punk, but the same thing happened with Cody Rhodes right before he left (obviously not Christmas-themed, but new merch being released), so that probably isn’t as significant as it might sound.
Sasha Banks & Naomi Update
The latest update on Sasha Banks and Naomi has come to light, as they’ve been pulled from an upcoming appearance.
Banks and Naomi were recently announced to be appearing at Vox Media’s Vulture Festival on November 12, but it seems that’s no longer the case.
Vulture Fest sent out a statement saying Banks and Naomi have been pulled due to “an unforeseen scheduling conflict”.
It’s unknown right now exactly what that conflict is, but the obvious thing would be to speculate about a potential WWE return.
It was reported last week that Banks was still under contract with WWE and some Instagram posts have hinted that she’s been training to get back in the ring, so there are definitely things that point in that direction.
We will of course keep you updated as more details come out.
Randy Orton Return Plans
Randy Orton has been absent from WWE TV since May which is six months now, and it may still be a while until we see him back as he’s only expected to return sometime in 2023.
However, as that time draws closer, there’s going to be some talk about what his return might actually look like, and, well, now we know what it might have looked like if Vince McMahon was still in charge.
WrestleVotes reported via GiveMeSport that when Orton left to recover from his back injury, WWE’s plan at the time was to bring him back when he’d recovered and have him “immediately” turn on Matt Riddle.
Orton and Riddle’s RK-Bro tag team had grown to a great level of popularity not just with fans but with Orton himself, so that would have been a huge decision.
However, remember that was way back in May and things change, and there’s now a different guy at the helm(sley) of the company calling the shots, so Orton’s return may play out very different to the original plan.
Other Stuff
According to Dave Meltzer, Katsuyori Shibata requested to – and will be – working with two people in AEW. Those two people are Orange Cassidy and Bryan Danielson.
Meltzer also reported that Bodhi Hayward’s NXT release was due to issues with his “work ethic”.
The main reason for the other names released (Sloane Jacobs, Erica Yan, Damaris Griffin and Ru Feng) was a said to be a general “lack of progression”, and this will be a regular evaluation that happens for talents every six months, so NXT releases will be happening pretty often.
PWInsider reported that Jake Paul is set to appear alongside his brother Logan Paul at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
WWE has renewed its deal with Hulu until September 2024 so it’ll expire the same time as the deals with USA Network and FOX, that way they can all be negotiated together.
According to PWInsider, MJF was not backstage at AEW Dynamite this week, but Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks were.
WWE has announced its WrestleMania weekend schedule as follows:
- Friday, March 31 – SmackDown & Hall of Fame at Crypto.com Arena
- Saturday, April 1 – NXT Stand & Deliver at Crypto.com Arena
- Saturday, April 1 – WrestleMania Night 1 at SoFi Stadium
- Sunday, April 2 – WrestleMania Night 2 at SoFi Stadium
- Monday, April 3 – Raw at Crypto.com Arena
Fightful Select noted that WWE was on “high alert” regarding the possibility of an attack from Iran on Saudi Arabia. Iran has denied that an attack is planned.
Set for tonight’s WWE SmackDown, which was pre-taped last week because of the travel to Saudi Arabia, is:
- Gunther (c) vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE Intercontinental Championship
- Liv Morgan vs. Sonya Deville – No DQ Match
- LA Knight vs. Ricochet
Set for tonight’s NXT Level Up, which was pre-taped on Tuesday before NXT TV, is:
- Hank Walker vs. Myles Borne
- Oro Mensah vs. Xyon Quinn
- Ivy Nile vs Sol Ruca
And set for tonight’s AEW Rampage, which will be a live episode, is:
- Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – AEW All Atlantic Championship
- Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs. Madison Rayne & Skye Blue
- We’ll hear from Ricky Starks
- Mike Tyson on commentary
That wraps up today’s bulletin, but be sure to check back to WrestleTalk.com throughout the day to keep up with all the news from the world of pro-wrestling.
Check out WrestleShop.com for all your favorite WrestleTalk merch, the WrestleTalk Magazine, wrestling shirts for grown-ups, and more!
Trending
- Former WWE Star Signs With TNA Wrestling
- Jim Cornette Responds To CM Punk Reference On WWE Raw
- WWE Star Publicly Fires Shots At The Company For Women’s Division Booking
- Absent WWE Star To Be In Town For WrestleMania 40 After A Year Away
- WWE Star Addresses Booker T Publicly Sharing Their Private Conversation
- Former WWE Star Fires Shots At Popular Talent For ‘Stealing Everyone’s Moves’
- Undertaker Names WWE Star He Believes Should’ve Ended His WrestleMania Streak
- AEW Star Jon Moxley Debuts Brand New Look
- Hulk Hogan WWE WrestleMania 40 Weekend Plans Revealed
- Triple H & Shawn Michaels Confirm WWE NXT Stand & Deliver Main Event