3 AEW rumors we hope are true & 2 we hope aren't: Triple H and WWE contacted 8 more stars to return; CM Punk's worrying future; Saraya's (fka Paige) in-ring status
Welcome to another stacked column on AEW rumors that we hope are true and some we hope aren't.
Triple H has been making big moves lately, with many (including some within All Elite Wrestling) perceiving it as contract tampering.
WWE has reportedly sent out feelers to as many as eight wrestlers, a few of whom have already teased leaving the promotion.
In today's edition, we'll reveal those names and whether they'll jump ship to the sports entertainment juggernaut.
We'll also discuss rampant speculation surrounding CM Punk's future amid his indefinite suspension. Meanwhile, we have backstage word on Saraya's in-ring status following a stunning debut at the Grand Slam.
With these lead stories, we'll dive into the top five AEW rumors of the week.
#5. Hopefully True: Triple H reached out to several current AEW stars
Triple H is dead set to bolster his roster at the heavy expense of the AEW division.
Ryan Frederick of Wrestling Observer learned that WWE allegedly put feelers out to gauge interest from the likes of Buddy Matthews, Keith Lee, Andrade El Idolo, Adam Cole, and Kyle O'Reilly.
Interestingly, Bobby Fish was the one who tried to convince his Undisputed Elite associate to jump ship with him, but they refused to get on board with the idea.
Similarly, a report from Fightful alludes to the global juggernaut reaching out to FTR, Swerve Strickland, and anonymous talent (AEW Original) who have been with the company since its inception.
We hope this report is true because some notable stars like Matthews and Andrade's credibility have been diminished due to poor booking. The two could easily thrive with The Game at the helm.
Meanwhile, Fish joining IMPACT Wrestling also suggests WWE originally planned to bring the Undisputed Elite back as a whole, but it didn't come to fruition.
The Swerve in our Glory and FTR have experienced a career resurgence under Tony Khan's umbrella, which most likely rules out their chances of leaving the place for the foreseeable future.
Though Cole and O'Reilly haven't been booked to their full potential, Mr. Khan can get behind him whenever they return from injury.
#4 Hopefully Not True: CM Punk may not wrestle in AEW again
CM Punk's AEW future has been up in the air since his infamous tirade at the media scrum and backstage scuffle with The Elite that ensued right off the bat.
Though the situation appears to have simmered down with bigwigs involved in the melee facing indefinite suspensions, the wrestling journalist believes The Second City Saint could be 'done' with the company.
Wade Keller of PWTorch pointed out Punk's omission from the list of ROH World Champions when sportscaster Ian Riccaboni announced moments before the match between Chris Jericho and Claudio Castagnoli at Dynamite: Grand Slam.
Keller noted that everything is pointing towards CM Punk and Tony Khan settling for a contract buyout:
"I think this is noteworthy but not surprising [that] he excluded CM Punk's name as he talked about some of the biggest names who have held the title. That's a bit of a tell. As I talked with Jason Powell yesterday about - I am not expecting CM Punk to wrestle in AEW again. I'm not saying it's 100 percent sure thing but everything is pointing in the direction of some sort of buyout of his contract. We'll learn more eventually about that situation," Keller said. [H/T WrestlingNews.co]
We hope this speculation isn't true because The Second City Saint's departure would be a massive blow to the company.
There's a lot of money left on the table to be made off CM Punk's name if Tony Khan manages to work out a way to bring Punk and The Elite to the same page.
Though fans may hate him, CM Punk is the biggest box office draw AEW has ever had since its inception. The wrestling stalwart is the perfect guy to lead the company into the future and go up against WWE in a so-called wrestling war.
Fans were also ostensibly robbed of two world title runs out of 43-year-old, and the veteran owes his loved ones to right the wrong following this travesty.
#3. Hopefully True: Saraya (fka Paige) could wrestle in AEW if the top official medically clears her
Saraya is not cleared for in-ring action.
“We were told that she had not been cleared as of very recently, which would explain not touching anyone [during her AEW debut], but would like to be cleared.”
- Dave Meltzer https://t.co/CzqfwXISDJ
The wrestling world has been fretting over Saraya's (fka Paige) in-ring future following her jaw-dropping AEW debut at Dynamite: Grand Slam last week.
The Glampire didn't get physically involved on the night of her arrival, fueling speculation that she still may not be medically cleared to compete in the squared circle again.
Dave Meltzer backed those hearsays by divulging that the former WWE Superstar didn't get clearance before jumping ship to the Jacksonville-based promotion.
The wrestling journalist later reported that AEW official Dr. Michael Sampson would take the final call on whether The Anti-Diva is physically fit to lace up her boots again.
We hope this report is true because as much as fanatics are elated to see her potentially compete in the ring again, one shouldn't forget that her health comes first.
If you recall, the British star has a history of neck issues, which prompted her to call it quits on her illustrious WWE career.
But bigwigs like Edge, Sting, and Bryan Danielson have miraculously come out of retirement in recent years to resume their passion, and one shouldn't be surprised if Saraya wrestles in front of the crowd this year.
#2. Hopefully True: Miro is not leaving AEW
The last time Miro wrestled on AEW Dynamite was 3 months ago. https://t.co/aCqcrv3V0d
In the wake of several reports about Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews wanting out of AEW to return to WWE, there has been rampant speculation about Miro making a similar switch.
However, Ryan Fredrick of the Wrestling Observer has quashed those hearsays by noting that the Redeemer doesn't want to go back:
"Miro does not want to go back," Ryan Frederick said on the Observer forum. "The only guys that really want to go back are the ones who have significant others with the other company."
We hope this is true because the Bulgarian star has been doing some of the best character work of his career since joining AEW.
He may not enjoy the same creative freedom if he jumps ship to WWE that still relies on the overly-scripted nature of promos despite a regime change.
Though Miro hasn't been utilized regularly since his return this year, he has all the credentials to become a world champion if the company pulls the trigger on him at the right time.
#1. Hopefully Not True: Tony Khan is "not granting" releases to any AEW star
In the wake of WWE and Triple H reaching out to multiple AEW talent, a new report has emerged on Tony Khan setting up a doctrine on release requests.
Dave Meltzer reported that Mr. Khan wouldn't be granting any releases to any star at this point. The wrestling journalist also believes Black and Matthews will be back in AEW programming much sooner than one would expect:
"Nobody’s getting released. That’s the doctrine. Tony Khan made that very clear I guess in the last couple of days. So now it’s just, (Malakai Black’s) not being released, Buddy Matthews isn’t being released. Now they may be back sooner than before," Meltzer said. [H/T WrestleTalk]
We hope the report isn't true because the head honcho shouldn't confine talent if they're unhappy with their booking.
Both parties can settle for a contract buyout if the promises aren't kept, as Malakai Black also alluded to in his recent statement on Instagram amid rumors of his conditional release.
However, one may argue that what if a talent deliberately wants to leave the promotion?
This has been one of the controversial reasons why WWE rarely grants releases to their employees, and if they do, the talent has to face a 90-day non-compete clause, which diminishes the buzz surrounding them.
But Mr. Khan shouldn't recklessly hire a wrestler if he doesn't have enough TV time for them.
What do you make of these rumors? Sound off in the comment section below.