CM Punk Returning To AEW In 8 Weeks; April 21st Live Wrestling News Round-Up

Joe Coffey shocked the NXT Universe when he returned to the WWE during WrestleMania weekend.

Coffey would wrestle his first WWE match in nearly a year when he took on Tank Ledger during the April 11th edition of NXT.

Taking to Twitter, Coffey has revealed that Scottish Football legend and Mark DeVries’ number one fan Henrik Larsson inspired his ring gear – or more specifically, it was inspired by Celtic’s now iconic 1996 away kit.

Check it out ⬇️

Iconic Away 96. pic.twitter.com/vbktQ513BC

— Joe Coffey (@Joe_Coffey) April 21, 2023

Britt Baker has taken to social media to show off the brutal aftermath of the beat down she sustained during this weeks AEW Dynamite at the hands of Chris Jericho and Saraya.

On the April 19th edition of AEW Dynamite, Adam Cole was handcuffed to the ropes whilst Jericho and Saraya (accompanied by The Jericho Appreciation Society & The Outcasts) took turns beating down former AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker with Kendo Sticks in front of her husband.

Baker has since taken to Twitter to show off the brutal bruises sustained during the beatdown.

Check it out ⬇️

🖕🏻@IAmJericho @Saraya pic.twitter.com/Lr3NQzSgKT

— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 21, 2023

What did you think of this divisive AEW Dynamite segment? Let us know by hitting the thumbs down below!

Notorious Mimi who was released after only eight months in the WWE has reflected on her experiences there.

During a recent appearance on Talk is Jericho, Mimi said she learned a lot while working in the company, but admitted her frustrations about not getting much TV time.

Reflecting further on her release, Mimi said her pitches for storylines and characters had gone “unnoticed” in the months leading up to being let go.

“I was still 19 when I got fired (from WWE) actually. It definitely really sucked, but at the same time, part of me immediately went, I actually get to wrestle again.

“I was so excited because I had done nothing for three months. I pitched stuff, it had gotten ignored. I’d offer storylines, characters, stuff like that and it had gone completely unnoticed and I couldn’t even get on live events for the life of me.

“Even though I was really sad, one, I think it was kind of one of those things where you see it coming but, more so, I was just like, thank God I get to actually wrestle again because I have 13 matches in 2022 which is way low for me or something like that and I’ve already had like 30 this year.

“It’s like you feel privileged to get the training and be able to make the paycheck but at the same time, if you’re not actually producing the product, you feel kind of pointless being there.” [H/T to POST Wrestling]

You can read more about Mimi’s ‘frustrating’ WWE experience, here.

Since being let go, Mimi has gone on to wrestle in multiple promotions, including making her Ring of Honor debut against Willow Nightingale.

Here is everything currently announced for the April 21st episode of SmackDown:

• Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs The Viking Raiders
• Xavier Woods vs Gunther – Intercontinental Championship Match
• Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan vs Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match

Do you think Xavier Woods will end the historic reign of GUNTHER? Let us know by hitting the thumbs down below!

On April 20th it was reported that there was some interest within Warner Bros Discovery around potentially doing a deal with WWE. This is despite the media giant being the home of AEW.

Following the news of WWE’s deal with Endeavor and merger with UFC, attention has now turned to the upcoming media rights negotiations. With regard to these negotiations, longtime media journalist James Andrew Miller stated there was some interest from Warner in WWE.

However, it appears that the chances of Warner Bros Discovery picking up WWE programming are slim to none.

Speaking on the Mat Men Podcast, Andrew Zarian stated that he had been told by a “key person” at Warner that it’s “hard to believe” a deal could be made.

You can read Zarian’s full comments, here.

There have yet to be significant talent cuts in WWE since Triple H took on the role of Chief Content Officer but some feel that this could be about to change.

When Endeavor purchased UFC back in 2016, the deal was followed by serious cuts as the company slashed costs. As a result, many predicted the same strategy will be employed with the sports entertainment giant.

These predictions appear to have been confirmed as Nick Khan stated in a recent interview that there will be cuts, although the intention is to leave “the product” untouched.

Despite his attempt to reassure the talent roster, it has been reported by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, that there is significant concern backstage. This follows a similar report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider that noted there is a “slight bubbling paranoia” among some talents.

You can check out the full report, here.

Do you think we will see mass WWE releases in the coming months? Let us know by hitting the thumbs down below!

Speaking in the lead-up to WrestleMania 39, Ronda Rousey discussed her numerous injury issues and the mentality that helps her push through them.

In a post on social media, the star broke down how she has “no ACL or cartilage” in her right knee, before recalling a conversation with her mom when she was a teenager.

Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reiterated earlier reports that the star is dealing with a hairline fracture in her arm and isn’t properly cleared for an in-ring return. Meltzer added that Rousey was determined to perform at WrestleMania despite the injury, noting he’s been told her attitude was “f*ck it.”

You can read the full report, here.

Who would you like to see Ronda Rousey take on when she returns to the WWE? Let us know by hitting the ‘Get Involved’ button at the top of the page!

WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase has taken to Twitter to reveal his favourite WrestleMania match of all time.

Writing on Twitter, ‘The Million Dollar Man’ would name his iconic WrestleMania VI clash with Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts as his favourite ever WrestleMania match.

“I have said many times that my match with @JakeSnakeDDT is my favorite Wrestlemania match. What do you think Jake?

Roberts would respond stating that the 1990 WrestleMania classic is one of his favourite matches of all time period.

“One of my all time favorite matches.”

You can check out the WrestleMania clash via the WWE Network, here.

What is your favourite WrestleMania match of all time? Let us know by hitting the ‘Get Involved’ button at the top of the page!

Nick Khan has commented on WWE’s current sponsorship strategy, noting that everything that can be sold, will be sold.

Speaking to LightShed Live, WWE President Nick Khan explained that when it comes to WWE sales everything is under consideration.

This includes sponsorship of the ring apron, mat, turnbuckles, and beyond.

“We are open for business. Ring mat, ring apron, the turnbuckles, everything that can be sold, we want to explore selling it.

Obviously, it needs to be the right product, it can’t be too distracting, but if it’s the right relationship and the right company, we’re ready to go.” [h/t Fightful]

WWE has featured some controversial sponsorship deals in the past six months including the ’embarrassing’ Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match and the poorly placed Cinnamon Toast Crunch advertisements during Rey & Dominik Mysterio’s family grudge match at WrestleMania 39.

You can read more about Nick Khan’s vision for WWE in 2023, here.

What did you think of the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match? Let us know using the thumbs down below!

Following Elon Musk’s bizarre decision to strip all verified accounts of their verified status unless they pay $100/year, NJPW has warned fans to be on the look out for fake accounts.

Taking to Twitter, the official NJPW Global Twitter account would warns fans to “beware Tweets, and especially unsolicited DMs from unofficial accounts”, before sharing their full list of authentic accounts.

Check out the Tweet below ⬇️

Official #NJPW Twitter accounts:

Japanese: @njpw1972
International: @njpwglobal
New Japan of America: @NJPWofAmerica
NJPW TAMASHII: @NJTamashii
NJPW World: @njpwworld
NJPW Collection: @NJPW_Collection

Beware Tweets, and especially unsolicited DMs from unofficial accounts. pic.twitter.com/hOYIFJy00K

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) April 21, 2023

Mick Foley isn’t normally one for wrestling with regrets, however The Hardcore Icon has revealed that there are two things from his legendary career he wishes he had never done.

Speaking on his ‘Foley is Pod’ podcast, Foley would reveal that his two regrets are both related to how he treated his body during his career.

The first, dropping elbows onto concrete during non-televised matches and the second was not protecting himself more on chair shots.

You can read the full quote below.

“So I could have done things that were healthier, but then I’m not the guy who got to the dance. You know, those were the things that brought me there.

I wish I had not dropped elbows on the concrete in non-televised matches and used it less on TV also, and I wish I’d brought up the hand because here was no correlation to me between guys who blocked or did not block chair shots and guys who got over big time, because the guys who were the biggest stars in the business did block the chairs, and no one thought any less of them.” [H/t to WrestlingNews.Co]

You can read more about Mick Foley’s career regrets, here.

What are some of your favourite moments from Mick Foley’s  career? Let us know by writing in using the ‘Get Involved’ feature at the top of the page!

Paul Wight spoke to Kenny McIntosh back in 2021 about why he decided to leave WWE and join AEW.

Check out this new exclusive clip from the interview below ⬇️

The Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania 39 disappointed fans due to a lack of surprises and shake ups, but according to a new report there was a good reason why.

According to a new report from Bryan Alvarez, many of the planned surprises for the Raw after WrestleMania 39, including NXT call ups, were pushed back in order to accommodate the upcoming WWE Draft.

Writing on his Twitter Subscription feed, Alvarez would state:

““It looks like some people who were supposed to debut right after Mania will appear in the draft instead”

There have been rumoured call ups for Cameron Grimes, Bron Brekker and Pretty Deadly for quite some time now and only time will tell how accurate those reports turned out to be.

You can read more about the upcoming WWE draft, here.

WrestleMania 39 broke a plethora of records for the WWE and despite still being four months away SummerSlam 2023 has already begun following suit.

Since the announcement of the event along with the new logo, there has been no further information provided by the company other than the Premium Live Event will take place at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, August 5th.

Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would confirm that SummerSlam 2023 is on track to set the record for “biggest first day of ticket sales for a non-WrestleMania PPV event in company history.”

You can read the full report and ticket sales breakdown, here.

Happy Birthday to former WWE Raw Women’s Champion Nikki Cross who turns 34 today!

Cross last appeared for the WWE on Monday’s taping of WWE Main Event when she took on fellow Scot Isla Dawn in the latter’s main roster debut.

Reports have recently circulated revealing that there are several surprises planned for the upcoming WWE draft, could Isla Dawn be one of them?

The pieces are falling place for CM Punk’s AEW return and that latest piece is AEW Collision.

It was reported earlier today that CM Punk’s return is provisionally set for Saturday June 17th – with this likely being a show at the United Center lining up with the launch of AEW’s newest show ‘AEW Collision.’

This information now seems to have been confirmed as Andrew Zarian of The Mat Men Podcast has revealed that AEW WILL be running the United Center in Chigaco on June 17th with those close to the show believing this will be the debut episode of AEW Collision and CM Punk’s return.

You can read the full report below:

“Spoke to a few people this week and it seems AEW will be running the United Center on Saturday, June 17th.

This could be the date for CM Punk’s return to AEW, and the debut episode for AEW Collision.”

Various wrestlers from across WWE & AEW have taken to Twitter to warn fans to be on the look out for fake accounts following changes to the platforms verification system.

Previously notable users could receive a blue ‘verified account’ badge helping fans to identify them as real accounts, however following Elon Musk’s disastrous purchase of the platform, verification is now only supplied to those willing to pay a monthly $10 subscription fee to ‘Twitter Blue’ – Twitters new premium feature.

All legacy verified accounts lost their ticks on April 20th making it easier for scammers and fraudsters to impersonate the accounts.

Something that various talent took to Twitter to pre-warn fans of.

WWE star Nikki Cross was one such talent, taking to Twitter she warned fans that she would not be signing up for Twitter Blue and that fans should be ‘mindful’ of imposters and money scammers.

Alexa Bliss blasted Twitter for changes to the feature stating that they are now “responsible for paying back the people who get scammed by a ‘verified’ Alexa Bliss account.

What do you think of Twitter’s new verification system and the implication for WWE Superstars? Let us know by by hitting the button at the top of the page or by clicking here.

Never one to shy away from the public eye, ‘The CEO’ Mercedes Mone has blasted recent rumours as ‘far from the truth’ in a new interview.

Recently Dave Meltzer reported that Mercedes Mone only had one match left on her NJPW contract (her upcoming clash with Mayu Iwatani) but negotiations were in place about one more potential match.

Now, in a new interview with Sports Illustrated, Mercedes Mone has shot down these rumours claiming that Japan is her ‘new home’ and these rumours are ‘far from the truth.’

You can read Mone’s full statement, here.

Who would you like to see Mone take on in NJPW or AEW? Let us know by hitting the button at the top of the page or by clicking here.

On May 6th WWE heads to Puerto Rico for the first time since 2005 for the upcoming Premier Live Event, Backlash.

With Roman Reigns reportedly not traveling to the event, fans have been speculating over what may main event the show.

Dave Metlzer of the Wrestling Observer has now confirmed that Cody Rhodes vs Brock Lesnar is listed internally as the shows main event, despite reports that Puerto Rican icon Bad Bunny will be competing on the show.

Meltzer states:

“Backlash on 5/6 is confirmed for Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar as the main event plus Usos & Solo Sikoa vs. Matt Riddle & Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. It is expected that Rey Mysterio & Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio, or possibly a trios match involving them, would be the other major match. It’s a sold out show with about 17,000 tickets out.”

You can read more about Backlash 2023 including more planned matches for the event, here.

In 2021 CM Punk shocked the world when he returned to wrestling after seven years away from the business.

Well, in just over eight weeks, ‘The Second City Saint’ is set to shock the world again when he returns to AEW on June 17th for the inaugural episode of AEW’s new Saturday show.

Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer notes that Punk’s comeback will be on June 17th which could well be the launch of the new show.

“As things stand right now, the return of C.M. Punk is scheduled for a 6/17 show at the United Center in Chicago, which being a Saturday night show, is likely the debut of the new weekly show.”

You can read more about CM Punk’s upcoming AEW return, including why he is being brought back, here.

Who would you like to see CM Punk feud with on his return to AEW? Let us know by hitting the button at the top of the page or by clicking here.

Good Afternoon!

We are back with the Inside The Ropes Live Wrestling Blog.

I will be with you from 12pm – 6pm [GMT] this afternoon, covering some of the biggest news stories from the world of wrestling.

We will be kicking things of this afternoon on when and why CM Punk is returning to AEW alongside news on WWE’s record breaking SummerSlam and some ‘untrue’ rumours surrounding Mercedes Mone.

As always we will be looking for your opinions on everything that is unfolding throughout the day, so make sure to ‘Get Involved’ by hitting the button at the top of the page or by clicking here.