Less than one week after an unforgettable Emergence, the stars and Knockouts of IMPACT Wrestling turn their attention towards Victory Road on an all-new IMPACT!, this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV.
* Impact World Champion Christian Cage will be in the Impact Zone
* Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Rich Swann and Willie Mack
* Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan
* Chris Bey vs. David Finlay
* 1 on 3 Handicap Match: Taylor Wilde vs. The Influence (Madison Rayne, Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With a K
* Steve Maclin open challenge on BTI at 7/6c on AXS TV.
According to a report, Impact Wrestling is set to make a push for Bray Wyatt, who was released from his WWE contract on July 31.
Bray Wyatt’s 90-day non-compete clause doesn’t expire until late October, so wrestling promotions still have ample time to negotiate with the former Universal Champion.
Wyatt was unexpectedly released from his WWE contract on July 31, abruptly ending his 12-year run with the company. Wyatt was reportedly told by John Laurinaitis that he was being let go due to budget cuts.
It was previously reported that Wyatt is bound for AEW, but that apparently isn’t a lock to happen (you can read more about that here). Not only that, but it looks like AEW will have serious competition for Wyatt’s services.
On the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast (h/t Wrestling.com), Dave Meltzer reported that Impact Wrestling is “really after” Wyatt. At this time, however, it’s unclear if Wyatt is interested in joining them.
Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore recently hinted that former WWE superstars Buddy Matthews (Murphy in WWE) and Braun Strowman will soon join the company. Matthews and Strowman were released from their WWE contracts on June 2.
It should be noted that if Wyatt were to sign with Impact or AEW, he would be able to appear in both companies since the two promotions have a working partnership. AEW wrestler Kenny Omega held the Impact World Championship for 10 days. So Wyatt could theoretically be used as a top main event star in both Impact AEW.
WWE somehow missed so many great opportunities with Wyatt. His release may actually end up being a blessing long-term, since Wyatt’s next employer will most certainly maximize his wrestling creativity, uniqueness and skill set.
There will be no shortage of options for Wyatt when it comes to choosing the next chapter of his wrestling career. Former Universal and WWE Champions don’t hit the open market very often, and he would be an ultra-valuable addition to AEW or Impact Wrestling.
Punk was there to share some more thoughts on return and perhaps address a few bullet points that he may have missed last week due to time constraints. But he was also there to hype up his upcoming ALL OUT match with Darby Allin, which will be Punk’s first match in over seven years.
After announcing that he was retiring his “Voice Of The Voiceless” monicker due to the fact that the AEW locker room has its own voice to which people are willing to listen, Punk sang the praises of his ALL OUT opponent.
“I look at Darby Allin and I see someone who would have been my favorite wrestler when I was 15 years old,” Punk said before referencing a series of questions he’s been asking himself later. “Can you still go?! Can you still be the best?! Can you still be the Best In The World?!” he said with passion in his voice as the members of the audience began to answer the question for him in unison.
With the crowd chanting “YES! YES! YES!” Punk cheekily called attention to the recent reports that Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) is on his way to AEW.
“That’s somebody else’s schtick, and ya might just need to be a little more patient,” Punk said with a wry smile and a look in his eye that screamed, “I shouldn’t have said that.”
CM Punk returned to wrestling after seven years and announced that he’s back, signed to AEW and will wrestle at All Out on September 5th.
AEW Rampage opened up with the biggest surprise that wasn’t really a surprise. CM Punk began the hour-long program by coming out to the ring and announcing he was back in professional wrestling and sticking around as part of the AEW roster.
Punk said, “I didn’t plan what I was going to say because I didn’t know how I was going to feel.” He added, “But I feel you Chicago. I hear you Chicago.” The fans started chanting his name, just like they did when the show began. Punk said he’s heard the fans for seven years.
Punk said, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that there wasn’t time to say everything he wanted do. The good news, he’s got the time, he’s not going anywhere and he’s with AEW so he’ll show up on Wednesdays, Fridays and pay-per-views. “If at all, through my journey, any of my personal decisions made you feel disappointed or let down, let me just say, I understand.” He asked fans to understand they understand he was never going to get healthy if he stayed in the same place that got him sick in the first place. Essentially, he needed the break he took.
“Can I tell you a story?,” he asked. He sat down, as he did with his pipe bomb that made him a star, and said he felt he had to leave. He mentioned he knew he had made a place in Ring of Honor where wrestlers could learn to love professional wrestling. He knew by going to WWE he was signing up for hard times. In August 2005, he left professional wrestling. August 20, 2021, (he) “I’m back.”
“I’m back for you.” He added that there’s a lot of young talent that he wants to be around. I’m back because I want to work with the young talent and because there’s some scores to settle in the locker room. He dropped the names of Darby Allin that he’s excited to work with — Allin was up in the rafters watching with Sting.
Punk said the most dangerous thing Allin could do is to wrestle CM Punk in Chicago. Punk said that will see Allin, Sting and the fans on September 5th at All Out live on pay-per-view.
A huge announcement was capped off when Punk said he appreciated everyone waiting. He said, “Grab a free ice cream bar on me.”
Source: TheSportster
Below is the AEW Media Scrum with CM PUNK and TONY KHAN after Rampage:
Tonight’s AEW Rampage: “The First Dance” airs on TNT at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Although not officially announced, it’s likely that CM Punk will be making his AEW debut on this show.
* Jade Cargill with Smart Mark Sterling vs. Kiera Hogan
* Private Party with Matt Hardy vs. Jurassic Express (AEW World Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament)
* Jon Moxley with Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia with 2.0
Another big name is reportedly headed to AEW soon.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is expected to sign with AEW in the near future. Flair asked for his WWE release earlier this month, and received it on August 3.
In an update, Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that sources close to AEW, that would be alerted to such things, have noted that a “new major AEW acquisition” is coming into the company soon, on the heels of the deals for CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
Punk’s AEW signing is expected to be announced on AEW Rampage tonight, and Bryan is rumored to debut on September 22 during the Grand Slam edition of AEW Dynamite in New York City.
It was recently exclusively reported on Wrestling Inc. that The Nature Boy does not have a non-compete clause with WWE, which means he is free to appear for any other promotion right now. He appeared at AAA’s TripleMania pay-per-view last weekend, and has been announced for the NWA 73rd Anniversary pay-per-view on August 29.
It’s possible that Flair is the “new major AEW acquisition” coming in, but that has not been confirmed.
A new edition of Renee Paquette’s “Oral Sessions” podcast will premiere tonight at 6pm ET with special guest CM Punk.
The timing of this interview is interesting as it’s believed that tonight’s AEW Rampage episode at 10pm ET will feature the official announcement on Punk signing with AEW to make his long-awaited return to pro wrestling.
The Paquette – Punk interview will premiere on Renee’s official YouTube channel at 6pm, just a few hours before Rampage hits the air at 10pm. Below is the official synopsis for the interview:
“It’s clobberin’ time when Renee is joined by none other than CM Punk, and the ‘voice of the voiceless’ has plenty to say about his short-lived UFC run, the fate of WWE Backstage and the most controversial questions facing the industry today.”
Punk and Renee previously worked together on WWE Backstage for FS1.
