Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.
Talks of CM Punk vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin Are ‘Premature’
The dream match between CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin is suddenly a possibility with Punk back in WWE, but Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio recently pumped the brakes on the possibility.
Meltzer said the online speculation has been “premature” and the match is “not anything that anyone [at WWE]’s talked about to any degree.” It’s also been noted that Austin has not been approached by WWE at this point.
Fightful Select previously reported WWE is “optimistic” the match could eventually come to fruition.
Punk and Austin have teased going one-on-one in the past, most notably during the promotion of the WWE ’13 video game in 2012. Austin was retired at the time and not medically cleared for a match, so the tension between the two was created to sell video games, but there is a glimmer of hope now that the Hall of Famer returned for a one-off match at WrestleMania 38.
It’s unclear if Austin has any interest in wrestling again, particularly after the warm reception to his match against Kevin Owens. Austin has always been conscious of his legacy—hence his steadfast refusal for years to come out of retirement—and going head-to-head against a 45-year-old Punk is a major risk given the hype.
Orton, Owens, LA Knight Among Roman Reigns Potential Royal Rumble Opponents
If you’ve been paying any attention to WWE programming, you’ll already know Randy Orton is the overwhelming leader in the clubhouse to be Roman Reigns’ Royal Rumble opponent.
Orton came back after an 18-month absence and immediately said The Bloodline was his target. He then joined SmackDown—the show Reigns appears on—and reiterated his point.
Meltzer seems to agree, noting that LA Knight and Kevin Owens were also considered for the spot but things are trending toward Orton. Knight is “supposed to go in another direction as of last week,” while Owens is “going with Logan Paul.”
This makes a certain amount of sense. Orton is coming back from injury and is one of the biggest stars in WWE history. It doesn’t take much to heat him up for a Reigns feud, and he has enough equity to lose and still stay strong. WWE risks ruining Owens as a serious threat by having him lose to Reigns again while Knight should be parlaying his main-event feud with Reigns into midcard gold sooner than later.
Given the Rumble is almost certainly a holding pattern for Reigns ahead of a WrestleMania comeuppance, Orton is a perfect choice.
Okada Will Be Free Agent in 2024
One of wrestling’s biggest names may soon be headed stateside.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported Kazuchika Okada’s contract with New Japan Pro Wrestling ends in January, and he’s considering a move that could shake up the wrestling industry.
AEW and WWE will both undoubtedly be interested in the Japanese superstar, who has already made appearances in AEW. He’s set to face Bryan Danielson at WrestleKingdom 18 in a rematch of their Forbidden Door match.
The 36-year-old previously spent time in TNA early in his career, but the experience was not positive. Okada’s dismal treatment by TNA was seen as a major reason the two promotions stopped working together, though Okada has said his time stateside helped him learn to develop a character.
Now one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation, Okada would be a major boost to any promotion in the United States and could be the first wrestler to set up a bidding war between WWE and AEW in 2024.
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