Rumor Roundup: CM Punk at Survivor Series, LA Knight vs. Roman Reigns, Rousey, more!

Speculating on the rumors surrounding professional wrestling is a favorite pastime of many fans, perhaps second only to watching the matches. In this daily column, we take a look at the latest rumors swirling around the professional wrestling rumor mill.

Important reminder: Rumors are just that: rumors. None of this has been confirmed as fact, it’s just circulating through professional wrestling rumors. We track the accuracy of rumors in a weekly feature called Rumor Look Back which you can find here. Remember, take everything with a grain of salt.

Rumors of the day:

• The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that there is “no evidence” that CM Punk will return to WWE tonight at Survivor Series in Chicago, and reiterates that “those close to the situation have denied it.”
• According to Fightful Select, WWE’s “top talent” was “told directly” that CM Punk will not be at Survivor Series. This includes talents who are at a level where “it wouldn’t make sense to lie to them and wouldn’t be beneficial to a big locker room.”
• In regards to recent references to Punk on WWE television, someone “higher up” in WWE told Fightful that the talent didn’t get these lines cleared up before using them on television. What’s more, Triple H “told some in the company that fans were finding things that weren’t there.”
• The Observer was told that Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight is not planned for Royal Rumble 2024. There are people who “feel like it should be Knight there,” but Triple H has a different idea in mind.
• According to WON, Ronda Rousey “is not pursuing wrestling regularly at this time.” Her ROH debut was “basically a favor to alleviate a complex political issue and help her friend Marina Shafir.”
• F4WOnline’s Dave Meltzer says the Young Bucks will be “repackaged as heels” with “big impact” after taking some time off. Colt Cabana “has been mentioned” as part of his heel group, but “that doesn’t seem to be a certainty.”
• Meltzer also claims Young Bucks YouTube series Be the elite “There is no pause, it is actually done. At this time, there are no plans to recover it.”
• Ryback said he once had a strange interaction with Brock Lesnar at WWE catering that was like “two gorillas meeting.” Brock sat “very close” to Ryback in an awkward silence as they ate. Brock noticed the enormous amount of meat on Ryback’s plate and recommended that he eat more vegetables. After that, “something strange happened between us” that involved chewing tobacco; Ryback “loved every second.”

If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you would like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below. Just remember that these are rumors and not confirmed as facts, so take them as such. And check out our weekly Rumor Look Back here to track how often rumors turn out to be true.

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