WWE News Roundup: Former champion comments on his release, Hall of Famer insults 5-time world champion and calls him a Hulk Hogan 'rip-off'

Welcome to another edition of the daily WWE News Roundup, where we aim to bring you the biggest and most exciting stories from the world of sports entertainment. In today's edition, we look at news revolving around top names like Hulk Hogan, CM Punk, and Bobby Lashley.

The All Mighty Bobby Lashley was 'fired' by Adam Pearce a few weeks back. However, the official rescinded his firing and revealed that the former United States Champion had not been released. Apart from that, we will also examine why Eric Bischoff thinks CM Punk ripped off Hulk Hogan. So without further ado, let's dive in and look at some top stories.

#3. Eric Bischoff takes a dig at CM Punk

To this day, there still aren't many better on the mic than CM Punk. #WWERaw

https://t.co/xBYRI1HM2Z

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Eric Bischoff took some shots at former AEW World Champion CM Punk. Speaking about Punk's time in WWE, Bischoff said that he was never a fan of Punk.

Despite being hailed as a great mic worker, the Hall of Famer said that Punk relied on cheap heat to get over and was overrated. He also believes that The Second City Saint ripped off Hulk Hogan in his 'pipe bomb' speech:

''When he dropped that pipe bomb, that was like rebelling against the man. He still had the mystique with the wrestling fans. But if you go back and you listen to his opening promo, what did he do? He ripped Hulk Hogan," said Bischoff.

Bischoff further stated that Punk is a wrestling 'nobody' and that he never liked his creative ideas or the way he was produced. Punk stayed away from wrestling for seven years after being released by WWE. He eventually joined AEW, but his status with the company is unknown after his alleged backstage fight with The Elite.

#2. Bobby Lashley returns to WWE

@fightbobby 💪🏾💪🏾✨#WWEAtlanta #BobbyLashley https://t.co/T63AaJzHqf

Bobby Lashley was fired by Adam Pearce for disobeying him on RAW. However, Pearce later converted the 'firing' into a suspension. The former world champion made his surprise return to WWE during a live event that took place in Atlanta on Tuesday. He faced his old rival Omos upon his comeback.

While Lashley seems to be back on the road, it will be interesting to see when he returns to Monday Night RAW. He was in a storyline with Seth Rollins involving the United States Championship. It is possible that The All Mighty could return to the red brand next week and cost Rollins his title match against Austin Theory.

#1. Former WWE Superstar Ej Nduka comments on his release

I'm as strong as DIAMONDS 💎💪

🎟️ MLW2300.com 🗺️ Philly 📍January 7 https://t.co/NWQ6xh0K5m

Former Superstar Ezra Judge, now known as Ej Nduka in MLW, recently spoke about being released in 2021 in a chat with WrestlingInc. Nduka was considered a top prospect in NXT because of his build and physique. However, he was one of the names who was let go by the company due to budget cuts.

''And obviously I lost my job with the WWE. And I was in a position, and I was in a point in my life where I was like, “Yo, what the hell am I going to do?” Because it wasn’t like I can just get up and go get a job, because everything was shut the hell down,'' said Nduka.

Though he did not taste success initially, he has become a major name in MLW, where he is a former tag team champion. The 34-year-old also stated how he faced a difficult time during the pandemic and overcame all the obstacles in his life.