CM Punk Drops “Needlessly Inflammatory” Comments About AEW; June 16th Live Wrestling News Round-Up

WWE Superstar Top Dolla has shown his support to the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride month by dropping an Central Cee inspired track.

The track in question is a one cut rap over the tune of Central Cee’s viral Doja track, known best for the line “how can I be homophobic, my b*tch is gay.”

The track shows support to the LGBTQIA+ community whilst calling out the “little b*tches” who have a problem with them.

You can watch the music video in full below.

“P R I D E”
🔝💵🌈

Peep #SmackDown at 8pm on FOX #Pride #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA pic.twitter.com/31xWCvjTN9

— Top Dolla 🔝💵 (@AJFrancis410) June 16, 2023

Expect lots of CM Punk news across the rest of this afternoon’s live blog.

Coming out of the highly anticipated ESPN interview, CM Punk has revealed that ‘Hangman’ Adam Page caused him to suffer a chipped tooth during their AEW World Championship match, something he claims ‘The Cowboy’ may have done on purpose.

Speaking with ESPN, ‘The Second City Saint’ would recount his side of the story when it comes to his issues with Adam Page.

Punk would state:

“And I proceed to have what I think is a garbage match because I’m trying to protect myself on stuff instead of actually just working and trying to put on the best performance I can,” Punk said.

“I’m keeping an eye out. He chopped me in the mouth one time, and I’m just like, ‘OK, did you do that on purpose?’ You chip my tooth, and I’m like, ‘All right, should I give him a receipt?’

It changes the dynamic. It poisoned everything for me, and it made it all really, really ugly, and that was what set all of this off, and here we are over a year later and ain’t s— been done about it.”

Punk would go on to state that he regrets how things unfolded during the AEW All Out press conference but what we saw was a “very frustrated” guy who had simply been pushed to the edge.

Inside The Ropes will continue to bring you the latest news from CM Punk’s ESPN interview as it unfolds.

CM Punk’s interview with ESPN has dropped and over the next hour we will be bringing you the key talking points from the article.

Starting with CM Punk’s frustrations as members of the AEW locker room leaking information to the media and how this elongated the recovery process following the AEW All Out brawl.

Speaking with ESPN, Punk would state that the brawl will not be used to work storylines on AEW TV as he feels the reports online have been spun to make him look the “bag guy” when he believes he was just defending himself.

‘The Second City Saint’ would claim that the internal drama was amplified due to members of the AEW locker roof “leaking things” to the wrestling media.

He would go on to state that he is open to having a sit down conversation with all parties involved and working through it but that has yet to happen.

“Now we all got to roll in the f—ing mud, and that never should have happened and has never been course-corrected,” Punk said. “So, I understand people want to say that, ‘Oh, man, Punk is a dick.’ Well yeah, because I’m defending myself and I will always defend myself. I’m open to have a full-blown f—ing sit-down powwow discussion with everybody about it. But it hasn’t happened yet, and it’s not because of my lack of trying.”

It had previously been reported that Punk had attempted to facilitate a conversation with Adam Page, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega but legal issues prevented it from happening.

Grayson Waller was one of NXT’s hottest stars prior to his WWE main roster call-up and according to a new report, he is on the path for big things following his move to SmackDown.

A new report from WRKD Wrestling has revealed that those backstage in WWE have been impressed with Waller’s work on the main roster and that he has “a lot of supporters” in the locker room.

Previously The Miz and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels had touted Waller for huge success and that support doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

The report from WRKD Wrestling states:

“Waller, having a lot of support behind the scenes, gets more time to shine”

The report also noted that someone may be losing their Money in the Bank spot during tonight’s episode of SmackDown.

What have you made of Waller’s main roster run thus far? Let know by hitting the thumbs below!

Hulk Hogan has opened up about the men who hated him most and why he thinks they disliked him.

During an appearance on the Full Send podcast, he opened up about the three men he believes hated him the most over the years and why they disliked him.

First up was Randy Savage. While the pair had once been firm friends, even living in the same area for a time, Hogan says that the Savage believed he had something to do with his deteriorating relationship and eventual divorce from Miss Elizabeth.

The second man The Hulkster named was Bret Hart, who has written at length about his dislike of the way Hogan won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 9.

Finally, the legend spoke about his heat with Scott Steiner, saying it came from the fact he was the only man willing to speak to him when it was time to take a loss.

You can read Hogan’s full breakdown of his issues with Bret Hart, Randy Savage and Scott Steiner, here.

AEW’s sister promotion Ring of Honor will present their annual ‘Death Before Dishonor’ PPV live from the Cure Insurance Arena in New Jersey.

The PPV, set to take place on July 21st, will be the companies second Death Before Dishonor PPV following Tony Khan’s acquisition of Ring of Honor back in 2022.

The 2022 event saw FTR take on The Briscoe Brothers in a critically acclaimed two-out-of-three-falls match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships.

The match would be ROH legend Jay Briscoe’s penultimate PPV appearance for the company before his tragic passing in January of 2023.

Tickets are on sale now for the iconic ROH PPV.

On the eve of his AEW in-ring return, Miro has opened up about his lengthy absence.

The Redeemer was last seen on AEW television on May 10th when he was seen going into Tony Khan’s office.

Ahead of his return on Collision, Miro appeared on Good Karma Wrestling and looked back on his recent career, lamenting his time out of action. When asked how he felt during his lengthy absence, the former TNT Champion held little back.

“It sucks. It sucks. Just looking for answers and not getting any. It’s not a good place.”

Looking ahead to his comeback the former WWE Superstar discussed the continual growth and evolution of his character.

You can read his full comments on Tony Khan, AEW and his evolution, here.

Will Ospreay recently got social media talking by teasing that he could show up at WWE Money In The Bank.

The event is taking place just down the road from where Ospreay lives, and the British star and Seth Rollins have been going back and forth online.

Another WWE name who has feuded with Ospreay in the past is Ricochet, and it seems like that rivalry hasn’t completely gone away.

Appearing on My Love Letter To Wrestling with Mark Andrews, Ricochet commented on the issues between Ospreay and Rollins, as well as his own feelings about the NJPW star. Ricochet stated that he doesn’t think Ospreay will show up for Money In The Bank, saying Rollins has better things to worry about.

The Raw star closed with a simple message for Ospreay, telling him to shut up while threatening to slap him in the face.

You can read Ricochet’s comments in full, here.

AEW Collision finally has a card after Wednesday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

Before “AEW Dynamite” on Wednesday, fans were only clued in that CM Punk would be returning to the company as he’d be teaming with FTR to face Bullet Club Gold and a longstanding rival in Samoa Joe. However, following “Dynamite” more matches for this weekend have been revealed.

Miro, a name who has been heavily featured in the promotion of “Collision” was confirmed to be in action on the premiere episode. In addition to that, House of Black’s Buddy Matthews will battle Andrade El Idolo in singles action, Wardlow will defend his TNT Championship against Luchasaurus and Skye Blue will pair up with Willow Nightingale to battle Toni Storm and Ruby Soho. If you’re not in the United States, Collision will reportedly be availble to watch next week for fans in the United Kingdom.

You can read more about plans for the debut episode, here.

Will you be checking out AEW Collision tomorrow night? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

AEW look set to lose two of their most promising stars as Andrade El Idolo and Rush’s contracts are set to expire in the coming months.

According to a new report, both Andrade El Idolo and Rush are set to depart AEW when their contract’s expire in the coming months, with Rush having his eyes firmly set on the WWE.

Writing in this afternoon’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would state:

“Rush’s contract was a one-year deal and believed to be up soon. Andrade’s was a three-year deal and he was of the impression it was up in a few months, but in his case due to the injury, AEW could extend it for the amount of time he was out injured.

When Rush said he quit AAA this past week there was talk of it opening the door to trying to talk with WWE. It’s almost funny that AAA did WWE such a big favor with the Dragon Lee thing in December, enough that it almost cost AAA its relationship with AEW.

But if Rush was with WWE, would they allow him to work TripleMania and finish up his storyline there? The story is that WWE is not going to risk any tampering when it comes to AEW, both due to what it could open up plus the MLW lawsuit still hasn’t been thrown out. So going to WWE, money, and everything else at this point should be considered theoretical, but Andrade did want out months ago and couldn’t get a release.

Rush could also be playing both sides, because WWE couldn’t sign him for NXT money since an AEW offer would likely be much higher, but they would probably want to send him to NXT first. Obviously Andrade’s wife (Charlotte Flair) is with WWE and it’s easier if both are in the same company, and Rush & Andrade are tight.

With AEW, Andrade and Rush could still work on their off days in Mexico, but obviously with WWE that isn’t the case. But right now all of this is a just wait-and-see situation.”

Would you like to see Andrade or Rush back in the WWE? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

WWE Payback is returning for the first time in three years.

The iconic WWE PPV first aired back in 2013 and has been an inconsistent part of the WWE PPV calendar running annually between 2013 and 2017 before disappearing until the last PPV back in 2020.

The event is set to air live from Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, September 2nd.

Tickets go on-sale 10am on June 27th, more information can be found here.

The last Payback PPV saw Roman Reigns capture the WWE Universal Championship by defeating Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman in a bizarre Triple Threat match.

Elsewhere on the show, Bobby Lashley defeated Apollo Crews for the US Championship and Keith Lee defeated WWE legend Randy Orton.

Word has been getting out about a controversial CM Punk interview set to release later today tomorrow from the desk of ESPN and a rumoured focus of the conversation swirls around KENTA.

Punk and KENTA have had a heated past in great part due to Punk use of KENTA’s GTS finisher in his arsenal.

Despite that KENTA has expressed a willingness to work with Punk if he received the right amount of money from Tony Khan and AEW.

However, judging by a recent report it sounds like Punk doesn’t have a desire to work with KENTA who is under the NJPW banner. With news surfacing, the latter caught wind of Punk’s potential feelings and took to social media to air out his grievances, not just with Punk, but with AEW.

“It is ZERO interesting without money. Also I’m so p*ssed that they planned our match without my permission and going to make it with NO BAG. This is my personal fued. F**K YOU.”

It was also revealed that CM Punk’s upcoming ESPN interview featured comments about AEW and Adam Page in particular, that the locker room found “needlessly inflammatory.”

You can read more about those comments, here.  

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray discussed the latest episode of AEW Dynamite and the opening match between MJF and Adam Cole. The contest went to a 30-minute time-limit draw and saw MJF bleed from the mouth.

Reflecting on the match, Bully Ray said that the blood was unnecessary and took away from the performances of MJF and Cole.

Continuing on, Ray said that the blood didn’t add anything, and a genuine injury of that type (bleeding from the mouth after a Superkick) would have lasted longer.

The ex-WWE star placed the blame for many of AEW’s problems around blood on the production team who have been called out numerous times for showing Jon Moxley and others blading on-screen.

You can ready Bully’s full comments, here.

CM Punk has proven to be one of the divisive figures in professional wrestling, and if reports are to be believed, even in the AEW locker room.

The star is set to be back in action on June 17th, but it has been reported that not everyone is delighted to have the former World Champion back. However, speaking to Alistair McGeorge for The Metro, Jamie Hayter had nothing but praise for the star.

The former AEW Women’s Champion said that she’d only ever had good experiences with Punk, adding that people would be fools not to want to work with him and utilise his experience.

You can read her full comments, here.

Later this month WWE returns to the UK for the 2023 Money in the Bank PPV.

Santos Escobar, Ricochet, LA Knight, Shinsuke Nakamura, Butch and Damien Priest will clash in a ladder match to crown the new Mr. Money in the Bank, and now the current favourites have been revealed.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, La Knight and Damien Priest are currently the favourites to win the briefcase and book their ticket to a WWE Championship opportunity.

“The men’s Money in the Bank ladder match has Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Butch and Damian Priest, with Priest and Knight as the two favorites.”

Knight is by far the fan’s favourite on line with many calling him a natural fit for the briefcase, however WWE are reportedly very high on Priest after his incredible work in Puerto Rico earlier this year.

It has also been revealed that WWE are looking at getting Drew McIntyre involved in the PPV, could we see ‘The Scottish Warrior’ added as the 7th man?

Who would you like to see win the 2023 WWE Money in the Bank match? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page.

AEW Collision is set to launch this Saturday with CM Punk’s return the focal point of the show.

However, AEW’s latest programming could spell bad news for the ratings of Wednesday Night Dynamite and Friday Night Rampage.

Writing in this afternoon’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would reveal that the third show for AEW will be crucial in their future broadcast negotiations but it is ‘expected’ to have negative repercussions for the ratings of Dynamite and Rampage.

“I would expect it to be strong for the first week with all the hype. AEW Dynamite did a great first week. Rampage did a great first week and even bigger second week, the second week due to Punk. The move from TNT to TBS worked out well as the audience moved with them and the first few months on the new station were very strong. So, by history, AEW usually opens strong for these kinds of changes.

Adding a third show could hurt the Dynamite number, and one would expect it would hurt the still declining Rampage numbers. The Dynamite number, while still better than the recent average, was disappointing for such a loaded show this week and much of the promotion has been the Collision launch and not Dynamite. Rampage set record lows for the regular time slot.”

Do you think AEW has made a mistake by adding another show to their already busy schedule? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

‘The Scottish Warrior’ Drew McIntyre was the face of WWE’s Clash at the Castle PPV in 2022, but less than a year later and he looks set to miss out on WWE’s return to the UK for their Money in the Bank PPV later this month.

At least, that’s how it looks from the outside.

According to a new report, WWE is looking into the possibility of having McIntyre compete at the PPV later this month, however, the former WWE Champion is keen to have all contract talks tied up before agreeing on any involvement.

Writing in this afternoon’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would state:

“There has been talk about getting Drew McIntyre back for the show, although there is no obvious opponent for him.

There is interest in getting McIntyre back for the 7/1 Money in the Bank show, which makes sense. PWInsider reported meetings and creative pitches for him took place last week and others close to the situation confirmed that to us that it was accurate.

He had been banged up and took time off after WrestleMania but wanted creative locked in place before returning. The logical role is as a heel working with Rollins.

The basic gist is that from his standpoint he wants to make sure everything is locked in because unless a new deal is reached it would be his last run at this time and wanted to have it have impact.

Of late his family has been dealing with the heartbreaking death of his sister-in-law, who was only 36, which has been his family’s prime concern in recent weeks”

It was recently revealed that Drew McIntyre would be attending the Special Olympics on behalf of the WWE.

Who would you like to see Drew McIntyre take on at WWE Money in the Bank? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page!

WWE’s roster looks be getting a little bit stronger as former World Champion Kofi Kingston is expected back from injury “shortly.”

Kingston has not competed since February earlier this year and has since undergone ankle surgery to repair damage to his sustained following an awkward clash with former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.

Writing in this afternoon’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would provide an update on Kingston’s injury revealing that he should be making his return ‘shortly’.

“Kofi Kingston should be back shortly after undergoing ankle surgery.

He is starting to be listed in advertising for shows, although the shows are still a few months away.

Kingston & Woods will be put back together as a tag team on Raw most likely upon his return. Kingston said the surgery was to remove a bone chip and fix a ligament after McIntyre landed on his leg accidentally when doing a flip dive and the injury was such that it needed surgery. He said he’s ahead of schedule on the recovery and said he’s been in Orlando training for a return and things are looking good, so he said hopefully sooner than later he’ll be back in the ring”

Are you excited to see Kofi Kingston back on WWE TV? Let us know by hitting the thumbs below!

The news around CM Punk is fast moving – following the report that CM Punk had targeted Adam Page during his upcoming ESPN interview, it has now been revealed that AEW “hoped” these comments would never make the light of day.

Writing in this afternoon’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would reveal that although AEW had hoped Punk’s comments on Page wouldnt be used in the ESPN video, talent backstage had already got wind of the comments that were seen to ‘rub salt’ in an unhealed wound.

“AEW was hoping that the comments Punk made about Adam Page would not be part of the article/video but the talent is largely aware of them. This is largely because the company is actively trying to sign Page to a new long-term deal. There was an attempt at damage control going on at press time but much of the talent was aware of what Punk originally said.

Punk, like the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Ace Steel, are all not allowed by the company and have had to sign documents that they can’t talk about the others for legal reasons, but Page was not on the list Punk isn’t allowed to talk about. It was a major talk of conversation among talent backstage at the show in Washington, D.C., with versions of what they believed he talked about in the interview that only added salt to the unhealed wounds”

You can read more about AEW talent’s thoughts on CM Punk’s upcoming interview, here.

CM Punk sure does have some things he’d like to get off his chest and his feelings about Hangman Page is reportedly one of them.

An upcoming ESPN interview with CM Punk is set to release later today and it’s been given a lot of attention despite not one word of actually being consumed by the public eye.

Fightful Select has been on the beat as rumors began to leak out about what the conversation all entails. The inital report indicated that Punk airs some sobering thoughts regarding a potential match with KENTA at Forbidden Door and also made mention that The Elite get brought up too.

An updated version of that report indicates that CM Punk has some words regarding one specific Elite member in Hangman Page. The former AEW World Champion is reportedly brought up in a manner that was not confusing in a work-shoot perspective. According to Fightful, Punk’s words about Page were clearly intentional.

You can read more about Punk’s comments on AEW and Adam Page, here.

It wouldn’t be a live wrestling news blog without another update on CM Punk.

The man who never shies away from controversy has once again made headlines for his comments regarding his fellow AEW colleagues, except this time, the comments haven’t even gone public yet.

AEW is said to be bracing itself for “one of those weeks” after CM Punk gave an interview regarding his comeback. It has been reported that Punk took aim at Hangman Adam Page in the interview and others in the locker room are less than impressed with what they’ve heard.

Speaking on a PWTorchVIP.com audio show, Wade Keller would reveal that although Punk didn’t cross any legal boundaries with his comments, the AEW locker room has deemed them “needlessly inflammatory.”

“Punk didn’t say anything he’s legally not allowed to say but he said other things that are being interpreted as needlessly inflammatory”

You can read a full break down of Punk’s inflammatory comments, here.

Do you think CM Punk will last in AEW or do you think he will be gone before the end of the year? Let us know by using the ‘get involved’ feature at the top of the page.

Good Afternoon!

I hope we are all doing well and have had a lovely week so far 🎉

I will be with you this afternoon from 12 pm to 6 pm BST (7 am -12 pm 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 drops “needlessly inflammatory” comments about AEW ahead of debut episode of AEW Collision.
• Latest news on WWE’s ongoing lawsuit with MLW.
• Latest AEW signing confirmed.
• Hulk Hogan recalls Andre The Giant’s insane drinking abilities.

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