Author: John Bass

Backstage WWE & AEW Reaction To CM Punk’s Return To WWE

CM Punk made his return to WWE this past Saturday at the Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 pay-per-view event.

Fightful Select has shared additional details on the backstage reaction of both WWE and AEW to Punk returning “home” at the pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL.

Several top WWE wrestlers are expecting to speak to officials in the company for “assurances” about Punk and his role in the company going forward.

The reaction backstage in WWE has been quite muted, similar to when Punk returned for AEW Collision.

There have been rumors about talents who do not wish to work with Punk and are considering leaving WWE.

Like AEW, however, there have been no reports of anyone actually requesting his/her release over Punk’s return to WWE.

Some top talent in WWE have reportedly asked friends in AEW whether Punk was involved in the ongoing Devil storyline. It has been reported that Punk was never considered for the Devil’s role.

As for AEW President Tony Khan, he reportedly seemed more concerned with losing Katsuyori Shibata, who had to fly back to Japan, than Punk’s WWE return.

Punk’s appearance was kept a top secret in WWE, although the former AEW World Champion either told or hinted to his very close friends that it was happening.

WWE is currently using renders from Punk’s previous stint with the company including the same Titantron video.

A source at Peacock suggested that the playlist of Punk content, which went online immediately after Survivor Series 2023, didn’t require any time to compile.

Prior to Punk’s return on Saturday, WWE talent and staff were advised to ignore any Punk chants at SmackDown and Survivor Series 2023.

Source: eWn

Tammy ‘Sunny’ Sytch Sobs & Laughs In Court After 17-Year Prison Sentence (Photos/Videos)

WWE Hall of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch was sentenced to 10.6 years for driving with a suspended license causing death, and 7 years for DUI manslaughter to be served after that. So a total of 17 years in federal prison. This will then be followed by 8 years post-release probation.

While in court, Sytch blamed the death of Chris Candido on her downfall. She then went on to deliver a “tearful” prepared statement. There weren’t any tears streaming down her face though. At one point, she apologized for her actions and turned to the victim’s family and said, “I know my words are not enough but please know that I think about you every day.”

Once Sytch was done with her prepared statement, she sat down and laughed as her lawyer attempted to feed her some water while she was handcuffed.

Sytch was brought into the courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles on her wrists.

Sytch appeared stoic as the judge sentenced her to 17 years in prison. The judge ruled in Monday’s hearing that once Sytch is done with her 17-year sentence, she will have eight years of probation and must have a substance abuse evaluation. She will also have to do 50 hours of community service, pay a $10,000 fine, and her driver’s license is permanently revoked. She had no questions for the judge and has 30 days to appeal. She will be 67 years old when she is released from prison.

After sentencing, Sytch was escorted out of the courtroom by officials and taken back to jail to continue to serve out her sentence.

Sytch was facing a maximum prison sentence of up to 25 years.

You can check out some photos and a complete video of Tammy “Sunny” Sytch’s court appearance below:

Source: eWn

Report – MJF Suffering From A Torn Labrum

MJF is reportedly dealing with a torn labrum.

Fightful Select is reporting that the reigning AEW World Champion took to Twitter today to announce that he got an MRI done and tore the labrum in his left shoulder. The tweet, which has since been deleted, said he’d be ready for the December 30th Worlds End pay-per-view event and closed with “I believe in AEW.”

It’s worth noting that MJF was telling people last week that he believed he had torn his shoulder. While there is no word on whether the MRI comments are legit, it appears the injury is the real deal.

Finally, it was added that the injury occurred while MJF was performing a top rope uranage at Full Gear 2023. He is currently undergoing treatment and is hoping to avoid surgery.

UPDATE

MJF sustained real injuries during the main event of the AEW Full Gear 2023 pay-per-view.

He suffered a hip injury that required popping back in and a shoulder injury, which is a torn labrum. MJF will be avoiding surgery and doing rehab instead to make sure he doesn’t miss any time, including his World Heavyweight Title defense against Samoa Joe at Worlds End.

Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that MJF is still experiencing a lot of pain in his hip and has significant swelling around it. MJF had the same tear in his labrum when he wrestled Jack Perry at Double or Nothing in 2020, but the tear is more severe this time.

Source: eWn

Details Behind Lawsuits WWE Facing Over UFC Merger, Endeavor Deal

It was reported yesterday that WWE investors filed a lawsuit challenging the promotion’s merger with UFC. The merger was completed in September under the name TKO Group Holdings after being announced following WrestleMania 39. In an update published by Bloomberg, the lawsuit claims that former WWE Chairman and current TKO Executive Chairman, Vince McMahon, used his “domineering personality” and majority stake at WWE to arrange an “unfair transaction.”

It’s also noted in the lawsuit that McMahon, who reinstated himself onto WWE’s board in January after retiring last summer amid sexual misconduct allegations, rebuffed higher offers to secure a deal with his longtime friend Ari Emanuel, the CEO of Endeavor and TKO, to keep himself involved with the Stamford, Connecticut-based promotion despite “stockholder discontent” and “government investigations.”

The suit also claims that Emanuel put forward a tentative offer to McMahon after the 78-year-old reached out to him following his return to the organization earlier this year. It’s said that Emanuel’s offer was entertained before other competing bids. It was described in the suit as a “sham sales process” to benefit Endeavor and shut out bidders who were looking to take McMahon out of the picture. Meanwhile, longtime wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer mentioned on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio” that there is another lawsuit being filed by a WWE stockholder. Meltzer claimed that further details about that complaint would be revealed soon.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 11/27/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

  • Fallout from Survivor Series: War Games
  • CM Punk who made his surprise return to WWE at Survivor Series is set to appear tonight.
  • Randy Orton who returned as a part of Team Cody for War Games also made his return after being out of action since May 2022 due to back surgery is likely to appear.
  • “Big” Bronson Reed vs. Ivar
  • Tag Team Turmoil Match to becomes No. 1 Contenders to The Judgment Day: The New Day, Alpha Academy, The Creed Brothers, #DIY, Imperium and Indus Sher

Backstage News On CM Punk’s Return To WWE At Survivor Series: War Games

CM Punk made a somewhat unexpected return to WWE at Survivor Series: War Games after a tumultuous near-decade long absence. PWInsider has more details on his Punk’s return as it played over the few weeks:

  • The agreement between WWE and Punk is believed to be “several years in length” according to company sources but despite previous reports, the two sides only began talking to each other over the last week.
  • Once the two sides began having conversations, the deal reportedly came together “rather quickly” and from WWE’s side, they are looking at it as a “new beginning” of a relationship between Punk and the company. The actual deal wasn’t hammered out until sometime yesterday, hours before Survivor Series.
  • WWE reportedly gave serious consideration to holding back Punk’s return until January’s Royal Rumble in Florida but the consensus feeling ended up being that the longer they waited to re-introduce him after signing him to a contract, the more likely it would become that word would spread backstage about their plans, leading to a higher chance that the news would be leaked, ruining the surprise.
  • The other consideration was of course that Survivor Series was in Chicago – Punk’s hometown – where he was guaranteed to get a huge ovation. After agreeing to terms on a new deal and because Punk lives only 20 minutes from the AllState Arena, the company was able to have him drive to the venue and sneak in at the very last minute for his end-of-show appearance.
  • The belief is that while be wrestling for WWE, he probably won’t be working a full-time schedule though this has not been confirmed by anyone.
  • Speculation has already started that WWE has its eyes on potential matches down the road which would see Punk wrestle the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes and possibly even in the long-sought-after dream match against Stone Cold Steve Austin, likely at WrestleMania.
  • The locker room dynamic with Punk back in the fold is something that remains to be seen on how it will fold out and is also a situation that AEW will no doubt be looking at with some level of curiosity. If Punk returns to WWE and remains incident free, it would go some distance in silencing his critics who believe he is the source of a lot of backstage tension. However, if his WWE tenure is also riddled with controversies, it would be validation for AEW. Most wrestlers within WWE have already gone on record to state that if and when Punk returned to the promotion, they were ready and willing to “make money” by putting their differences aside in order to work with him.

Tony Khan Says He Can’t Legally Talk About CM Punk’s Return To WWE

After his departure from AEW due to a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023, CM Punk made a shocking return to WWE following the main event of Saturday’s Survivor Series 2023 pay-per-view event.

Tony Khan recently did an interview with BBC West Midlands, where he was asked about Punk’s WWE return. The AEW President said,

“Can’t talk about that, nor do I think it’s the time or the place. But I appreciate you asking, and I’m very excited about AEW All In Wembley Stadium. Not to dodge or duck your question, it’s just not something I can legally talk about.“

Source: eWn

Report – CM Punk Received ‘Major Money Offer’ From TNA/Impact Wrestling Ahead Of WWE Return

As many of you know by now, CM Punk made his return to WWE at Saturday night’s Survivor Series: War Games 2023 pay-per-view event at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL.

Pwinsider is reporting that Punk was considering a “major money offer” made by TNA/Impact Wrestling before finalizing his multi-year deal with WWE on Saturday.

According to the report, Punk was “amazing” during his discussions with TNA/Impact Wrestling, which included dealing with top executives such as Scott D’Amore and Lou D’Angeli.

Sources in Impact believed at one point that the promotion was very close to signing Punk and hoped he would appear at Bound for Glory 2023 as part of the announcement that Impact was rebranding back to TNA.

The conversations continued after Bound for Glory 2023 and people in Impact remained hopeful about bringing Punk in full-time.

However, Impact executives soon realized that Punk could earn a bigger paycheck in WWE, and they were happy for him.

Several Impact wrestlers appreciated the time Punk spent with them when he visited the TV tapings in Chicago, IL.

Source: eWn

BREAKING NEWS – CM Punk Returns To WWE At Survivor Series 2023

CM Punk has made his return to WWE at Survivor Series: War Games.

In the Men’s WarGames match that headlined the show, Randy Orton hit JD McDonaugh with an RKO while Cody Rhodes hit Damian Priest with the Cross Rhodes to pick up the win for his team.

As the babyfaces all stood tall, the Cult of Personality theme music hit and CM Punk made his way to the ring in a white t-shirt and jeans. CM Punk hyped up the fans on the entrance stage and soaked in the reaction as the show came to a close.

WWE Survivor Series: War Games 11/25/2023 (Results),

WOMEN’S WAR GAMES MATCH:
Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Shotzi, and Becky Lynch def. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Asuka, Iyo Sky, and Kairi Sane)

A previously injured R-Truth made an appearance alongside Pretty Deadly, Women’s Tag Team Champions Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, and Alpha Academy in a plug for Ruffles potato chips. In the segment, all involved were eating the chips when Pretty Deadly’s Elton Prince and Kit Wilson began arguing with Otis, saying they were called “crisps” rather than “chips.”

A brawl broke out over the argument about how to refer to the Ruffles and bowls of the chips were thrown. R-Truth appeared out of nowhere, eating his own bowl of the snacks, and said he had “been there the whole time.” The last time the real-life Ron Killings, a multiple-time WWE 24/7 champion, was seen on WWE TV was during an episode of “WWE NXT” in November 2022 when he took on Grayson Waller.

INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP:
Gunther (c) def. The Miz

Santos Escobar def. Dragon Lee

WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:
Rhea Ripley (c) def. Zoey Stark

MEN’S WAR GAMES MATCH:
Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Randy Orton def. The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, and JD McDonagh) and Drew McIntyre

As Rhodes, Rollins, Uso, Zayn and Orton was celebrating, Cult of Personality hit. CM Punk has returned to WWE.