CM Punk’s AEW Return Match Confirmed; June 8th Live Wrestling News Round-Up

Chris Jericho has given an exclusive insight into how AEW booking differs from WWE.

Having wrestled for every major promotion in the past 30 years, Jericho has seen and been a part of a collection of creative methods.

During a live show with Inside The Ropes in 2022, the inaugural AEW World Champion peeled back the curtain on how storylines are put together for Dynamite and Rampage. Beginning the story, Jericho admitted that if AEW was never created, he may have given up wrestling altogether.

Jericho continued, confirming that All Elite Wrestling does not have writers, and revealed how he collaborates with Tony Khan to develop ideas.

The lack of writers in AEW was a relief to the leader of the Jericho Appreciation Society, who described his frustrations when working with WWE writers and the ever changing mind of Vince McMahon.

You can read Jericho’s full comments on AEW, Tony Khan and the booking process, here.

AEW Star and Sting’s protégé Darby Allin is no stranger to ink and has now taken to Instagram to show off his new head tattoo.

The new ink in question was designed by surrealistic fine artist Caleb Morgan of Chimera Gallery and features what appear to be muscle strands and tendons tattooed from Allin’s shoulder up his neck, past his ear and around his skull.

Taking to his Instagram, Morgan would show off Allin’s new ink stating which you can check out in full, here.

Are you a fan of Darby Allin’s look? Let us know using the thumbs below!

Late last night we took to Facebook to ask you “what is your dream AEW vs WWE match” here are some of our favourite responses.

“Sting vs The Undertaker” – Cody Robertson

“Bloodline vs The Elite in an 8 Man Hell In A Cell or a Blood & Guts match. But only if they have AEW’s TV-14 rating and Kevin Dunn isn’t producing it.” – Josh Huffines

“Seth Rollins vs. Kenny Omega” – Jacob Baker

“Omos and Omos Vs Orange Cassidy for all the belts” – Anthony Rosborough

What is your dream AEW vs WWE match? Let us know by filling out our ‘get involved’ form and we will share some of our favourites.

Jim Cornette recently sat down with Inside The Ropes own Kenny McIntosh to reveal why he’s furious with AEW and The Elite for not capitalizing on the backstage altercation with CM Punk.

You can check out this never before seen interview clip below:

Vince Russo dealt with his fair share of “attitude” while being a head writer for WWE during the company’s hottest era and it wasn’t necessarily from the main eventers.

While on the The Wrestling Outlaws show on Sportskeeda, Russo recounted one time when Sunny, aka Tammy Lynn Sytch became super upset when he initially selected a swimsuit photo of her for the WWE Magazine cover.

Russo revealed that Sytch was so angry at the image they had chosen, without her permission, that she threatened to sue to the WWE.

“I’ll never forget, man, she comes in and she sees that cover shot and starts screaming, ‘I’m gonna sue! I’m gonna sue!’ These were her exact words, and I popped, I laughed. ‘That’s not me! That’s not me!’ And I just said, ‘Sunny, who is it? No, that is you. That’s you in the picture!’”

You can read more about Sunny and Russo’s heated confrontation, here.

Jim Cornette is usually the voice for rhyme and reason in wrestling, but his latest pitch for Cody Rhodes is less WWF and more MCU.

Speaking during a recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, the legendary manager would pitch an angle for Cody Rhodes and Brock Lesnar that would see ‘The American Nightmare’ dawn an Iron Man inspired titanium cast utilising the weapon to take down ‘The Beast Incarnate’.

“Wouldn’t it have been cool if they had done a video where Cody went to Birmingham and got some kind of space age titanium cast and he pulled his arm out of a goddamn bucket of dry ice or something and here’s this goddamn shiny silver Iron Man looking f*cking thing with steam coming off it. If you hit Brock Lesnar with that goddamn he’s going down, that’s a thought I had would that be too much or would that fit in with today’s spirit of stuff?”

You can read more about Cornette’s thoughts on Cody Rhodes’ ongoing feud with Brock Lesnar, here.

What do you think of Cornette’s pitch of Cody Rhodes? Let us know by using the thumbs below!

Former WWE employee, and iconic ROH Champion, Nigel McGuiness once wrestled a 20 minute match dressed as Kane.

Prior to becoming an established name on the independent scene, McGuinness would wrestle at Butlins holiday camps. Speaking with Metro, the former Ring of Honor World Champion revealed that the Superstar he was chosen to imitate was none other than Hall of Famer Kane, despite being nearly 1 foot shorter than The Big Red Machine.

Continuing in the interview, McGuinness admitted that he did not enjoy portraying The Devil’s Favourite Demon at Butlins, stating that it was not a career highlight.

You can read the full interview, here.

What is the strangest thing you have ever seen at a small wrestling show? Let us know using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page.

Triple H was initially against plans to reform a previously retired faction despite pleas from one of the group’s members.

Speaking on the Out Of Character Podcast, LWO member Santos Escobar revealed that the reformation of the Latino World Order was always a plan, as representation is very important to him.

The former King Cuerno then revealed that Triple H was reluctant to bring back the WCW faction, instead wanting the Legado Del Fantasma member to be his own person first.

Finally, Escobar would then admit that the timing was not right at the start due to an original member being required, a position that was filled by Rey Mysterio.

You can read Escobar’s full comments, here.

Have you been enjoying the LWO’s reunion in WWE? Let us know using the thumbs below!

According to a new report from Fightful Select, Bullet Club Gold looks to be expanding in AEW ‘imminently’.

AEW’s latest faction, consisting of former NJPW Champions Juice Robinson and Jay White, looks to be expanding ahead of the launch of AEW Collision.

It had recently been reported that CM Punk is a fan of Jay White and looks set to feud with The Switchblade on his return to AEW.

This report was seemingly confirmed last night when Tony Khan announced that CM Punk & FTR would take on Samoa Joe and Bullet Club Gold during the main event of AEW Collision next Saturday.

Fightful has reported that Bullet Club Gold “will be getting new members imminently,” however, the report states that it is unknown if this includes ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe or who else may be joining the duo.

Samoa Joe would appear to make sense as it had previously been reported that CM Punk had requested to work with his former ROH rival on his return to the company but only time will tell if this is the case.

Who would you like to see team up with Jay White & Juice Robinson? Let us know using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page!

Inside The Ropes Magazine Issue #34 is available for pre-order NOW!

Featuring:

• 20 Questions with AEW’s Saraya.
• An exclusive interview with Dark Side of the Ring creator Evan Husney
• Exclusive analysis into AEW Double or Nothing and WWE Night of Champions.
• The annual AEW progress report and much, more.

Pre-order today ➡️ insidetheropesmagazine.com

You can bookmark the announcement, here.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has joined the wrestling world in paying tribute to the late Iron Sheik, following his sudden passing on June 7th 2023.

The WWE icon would take to Twitter to pay tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer, sending his condolences to Sheik’s family and telling the legend to ‘Rest in Power’.

Rest in Power, Uncle Sheiky.

Thank you for paving the way.

Love, light and strength to Caryl & the ohana x

You can check out Johnson’s full tribute below ⬇️

Rest in Power, Uncle Sheiky ❤️
Thank you for paving the way 🙏🏾
Love, light and strength to Caryl & the ohana x pic.twitter.com/p9c9wwQz6U

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 7, 2023

Dwayne Johnson was not the only talent to pay tribute to The Iron Sheik following his passing, you can check out more tributes to the WWE Hall of Famer, here.

What is your favourite memory of The Iron Sheik? Let us know using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page.

A new report has revealed an incredible heart-warming gesture made by former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar behind the scenes at WrestleMania.

In a report published recently by Tokyo Sports, somebody who was close to Inoki was seen backstage at WrestleMania 39 following the legends passing just months earlier in February.

Prior to his match on the grandest stage, Lesnar went out of his way to speak to the person and offer his condolences on the passing of the former president of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

It is also mentioned in the report that somebody attempted to approach Lesnar, but the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion ignored them, instead choosing to listen to stories of Inoki’s last days.

You can read details of the full report and Lesnar’s heart-warming gesture, here.

Where does Brock Lesnar rank in the list of greatest WWE Superstars of all time? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page!

Ahead of the debut of AEW Collision next Saturday much has been announced, but one part of the show that remains a mystery is the commentary team.

With Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Tazz, Chris Jericho and Excalibur all regularly doing commentary for AEW the question beckons as to who will be intrusted to be the voices of AEW’s latest programming.

During a recent K & S WrestleFest virtual event, the legendary, Jim Ross was asked if he knew who would be the commentary team for AEW Collision, a question to which Jim Ross had a short and simple answer.

“No clue.”

AEW Collision is set to debut next Saturday and will feature a blockbuster main event as CM Punk teams with FTR to take on the trio of Jay White, Juice Robinson and Samoa Joe.

You can read more about that match and current plans for CM Punk, here.

Bray Wyatt is a man of few words and many actions, but when it came to the passing of legendary WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, Wyatt would break his four month social media blackout to pay tribute to the pioneer of pro-wrestling.

The Iron Sheik tragically passed away on June 7th leading to a outpouring of tributes on social media, including one from former WWE Champion Bray Wyatt who had previously not posted since February 2023.

Taking to Twitter, Wyatt would state:

“We will miss you Bubba”

Wyatt hasn’t appeared in the WWE since prior to WrestleMania when a planned match with ‘The Almighty’ Bobby Lashley was scrapped.

Fans have speculated if Wyatt’s time in the WWE is once again coming to an end with the company reportedly looking to make cuts following their Endeavour merger, but at this time there is no official report on Wyatt’s current WWE status.

Wyatt was not the only talent to pay tribute to The Iron Sheik following his passing, you can check out more tributes to the WWE Hall of Famer, here.

After defeating Darby Allin, Jungle Boy and Sammy Guevara at AEW Double or Nothing, MJF’s next challenger for the AEW Championship has been revealed.

After addressing the AEW audience, MJF was confronted by former NXT World Champion Adam Cole, who aligned himself as ‘The Salt of the Earth’s’ next challenger following his historic victory over Chris Jericho in an unsanctioned match at Double or Nothing.

A series of back and forth barbs ensued, with MJF mocking Cole’s physique, and Cole retorting with an accusation of his own directed at the champion.

Cole would fire back with some home truths of his own, refencing that MJF’s fiancée left him and that he can’t hold a relationship if his life depended on it.

The Generational Talent finally snapped, stating that he could beat Adam Cole at anytime. Cole stated that it looks like a match will be taking place in the near future.

You can read more about this upcoming match, here.

Who should dethrone MJF for the AEW World Championship? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page.

Vince McMahon has been a staple of WWE TV for over three decades, but it is his role in this weeks episode of AEW Dynamite that is the reason he is making headlines this morning.

Although Vince McMahon did not appear on AEW TV, can you imagine the headlines if he did, his name did make a brief cameo during a heated confrontation between MJF and his latest challenger Adam Cole.

During a war of words with Adam Cole, a variety of subjects came up, one of which being Cole’s motivation to leave NXT and become All Elite. MJF would then reference an online rumour about Cole that McMahon did not see championship potential in the former NXT Champion, then admitting that he was a big fan of the Chairman of the WWE Board.

The Generational talent went on to say that he was in disbelief when he first read the report, but now agrees with McMahon’s reported thoughts on Cole.

You can read MJF’s full comments on Vince McMahon, here.

CM Punk may not be on the best side of everyone in the AEW locker room, but according to a new report from Fightful Select he has “taken a liking” to a new member of the AEW locker room.

The report notes that CM Punk has taken a liking to former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Jay White, following ‘The Switchblade’s’ arrival in AEW.

The report continues revealing that Punk had been pushing to work with the former Bullet Club leader on his return to AEW.

Punk’s wishes have come true with Tony Khan’s announcement during the June 7 episode of AEW Dynamite that CM Punk & FTR will take on the trio of Samoa Joe, Juice Robinson and Jay White in the main event of AEW Collision when the show debuts in Chicago next Saturday.

You can read more about that match and CM Punk’s involvement, here.

Would you like to see CM Punk enter a programme with Jay White? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Spoiler for tomorrow night’s episode of AEW Rampage have been revealed.

To avoid spoiling the show for anyone who wants to watch spoiler free we wont post them here.

But you can check them out in full, here.

Former WWE Superstar and IWGP Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone held “significant” talks with AEW prior to her injury back in May.

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated has confirmed that multiple sources close to Tony Khan have revealed that AEW and the former Sasha Banks held “significant discussions” prior to Mone’s injury at NJPW Resurgence late last month.

The timing of the talks could suggest that Khan was aiming to bring Mone into AEW for their upcoming Forbidden Door PPV with ‘The CEO’ working regularly for NJPW and NJPW Strong prior to her injury.

Mone suffered a possibly broken ankle during her match with Willow Nightingale at NJPW Resurgence, an injury that not only saw the finish to match changed on the fly but also one that takes Mone out of the equation for AEW and NJPW’s upcoming Forbidden Door PPV.

You can read more about Mone’s injury status including a potential recovery timeline, here.

Would you like to see Mercedes Mone sign for AEW when she returns from injury? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Mick Foley has revealed that WWE Hall of Famer ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper wore his iconic leather jacket, not for it’s look but rather, to protect himself from being stabbed.

Speaking on a recent episode of ‘Foley is Pod’, ‘The Hardcore Legend’ recalled his conversations on the subject with Piper’s daughter Teal, who recently made her Ring of Honor debut, Foley would reveal that ‘Hot Rod’ wore the jacket as a protective measure after being stabbed in Raleigh, North Carolina and almost dying as a result.

Foley would then recalls fellow Hardcore Legend Terry Funk calling a stabbing ‘the ultimate compliment’ for a wrestler, noting that he would never press charges against a fan who stabbed him as it meant he was doing his job right.

“He looked at me and goes, ‘What did you say?’,” said Foley. “He got in close to my face [and said,] ‘How could I do that? Why would I press charges against someone who’s paying me the ultimate compliment?” [h/t WrestlingInc]

Is Roddy Piper the greatest heel of all time? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley had some high praise for WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

Speaking during a recent episode of ‘Foley is Pod’, The Hardcore Legend would praise Rollins for being a phenomenal worker, stating that fans had started to take ‘The Messiah’s’ incredible ability for granted:

“I think we had really come to take him for granted. A phenomenal worker. I think last year — I don’t even know if Seth was in my top five. But this attention to character has been a slow build,” Foley said. “I remember there were people thinking it was the most embarrassing thing in wrestling and I was like, ‘He’s on to something, and he’s trying. He’s sinking his teeth into it.’ It was just so much fun to see him evolve and just take to it.”

Foley would go on to compare Rollins to his friend and former rival ‘The Rated R Superstar’ Edge:

“He reminds me of Edge. At the peak of Edge’s character prowess, where he just bit into everything, he did it with gusto. It didn’t matter how silly it was, he was going to make the very most out of it,” he said. “In the beginning, the new Seth Rollins seemed to be a little silly, and he just kept going with it, believing it. I don’t watch wrestling nearly as much as I used to, but I watch it enough to know that this guy is at a point where it’s the perfect marriage of in-ring talent and character.” [h/t WrestlingInc]

Do you agree with Mick Foley’s comments? Let us know by using the thumbs down below!

In the months leading up to CM Punk’s AEW return Tony Khan has chosen to stay silent on the matter, instead focusing fans attentions onto the incredible matches being announced for AEW Double or Nothing and Forbidden Door.

But now, just one week away from CM Punk’s return to AEW, Tony Khan has finally broken his silence on the subject.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Khan would comment on Punk’s return to AEW stating that he is “important” to the company and his injury timeline allowing his return to coincide with the launch of AEW Collision is a huge opportunity.

“We haven’t seen CM Punk in a long time, since All Out last September,” he said. “He looked great in his last match. To the fans, he’s very important. He’s very important to the company, too. He’s been a big draw for us and historically throughout his career, and the launch of the new show happens to line up with the schedule on his rehab of his triceps injury.

“We have an amazing opportunity with AEW on Saturday nights on TNT, starting June 17, and it was truly the brainchild of [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and president] David Zaslav. He asked about more AEW, specifically Saturday nights, on TNT. When it was pitched to us by TNT, I was so excited. It’s so exciting the timing [of Punk’s return from injury] coincides with the launch of Collision.” [h/t Haus of Wrestling]

You can read more about CM Punk’s upcoming AEW return, here.

With the return of CM Punk fast approaching, AEW President Tony Khan announced he will headline the debut episode of Collision in his first match since All Out 2022.

On the June 7th edition of Dynamite, AEW President Tony Khan made yet another major announcement surrounding the debut episode of Collision. Over the past few weeks, Khan has taken to the screen to reveal the locations of the shows and other breaking news.

This time around he revealed Punk will team up with the World Tag Team Champions FTR in the main event against ROH Television Champion Samoa Joe, and Bullet Club Gold – Juice Robinson, and Jay White.

You can read more about Khan’s announcement, here.

Are you excited for CM Punk’s AEW return? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

Good Afternoon!

I hope we are all doing well and your week is going smoothly so far.

I will be with you this afternoon from 12pm to 6pm BST (7am -12pm EST) with all the latest news and rumours from AEW, WWE and NJPW.

This afternoon we will be kicking things off with some of today’s biggest stories, including:

• CM Punk’s AEW return match confirmed.
• Tony Khan breaks silence on CM Punk’s AEW return.
• Mick Foley claims WWE Superstar has been “taken for granted.”
• WWE Hall of Famer wore iconic leather jacked to protect himself from being stabbed.
• Mercedes Mone held “significant” talks with Tony Khan & AEW.
• CM Punk has “taken a liking” to recent AEW signing.

As always if you have anything you want to ask us or any stories you would like us to try provide an update on, let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page!