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We're back again with another stacked edition of our weekly series in which we list the rumors from the world of professional wrestling and WWE that came true.
We begin with a rumor that has been circulating for a long time, and that is with regards to CM Punk's full-time return to pro wrestling. Why didn't CM Punk sign a deal with AEW even though there was interest on both sides? During a recent interview, Cody confirmed a story that has been discussed for a long time now, which includes CM Punk's astronomical demand.
Elsewhere, a top female WWE Superstar confirmed that she would be away from WWE longer than expected as she is set to undergo surgery to fix an issue that came up from a prior plastic surgery.
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Kevin Owens also confirmed that he was the catalyst for a significant change that recently happened backstage in the WWE. The Prizefighter even confirmed details of the talks he had with Vince McMahon and Triple H about possibly going back to WWE NXT.
Drew McIntyre also played a huge role in the return of a recently released Superstar on RAW.
#5. Reason why former WWE Superstar CM Punk didn't sign with AEW, his 'astronomical demand' about a return
It's no secret that former WWE Champion CM Punk was one of Tony Khan's first choices while setting up All Elite Wrestling. It's also no secret that AEW and CM Punk did have discussions regarding a possible signing.
Konan revealed on the Keepin' it 100 podcast that he had heard about CM Punk asking for an astronomical amount from AEW.
During a recent interview with talkSPORT, Cody Rhodes confirmed that there were negotiations between Punk and the promotion, and the former WWE Champion did ask for a great deal of money.
Cody explained that while Punk is worth a lot of money, AEW can't afford to be financially irresponsible and repeat the same mistakes as WCW or Jim Crockett promotions. Cody said that some brilliant and fiscally conservative people surround and flank the promotion, and the goal is to turn a profit at the end of the day.
"As far as the CM Punk negotiations go, everyone heard the famous 'he got a text from us.' Yeah, of course, there were negotiations, and he did ask for a great amount of money, and Punk is worth a great deal of money."
Cody went on to explain his relationship with CM Punk and provided more details on why the entire 'CM Punk to AEW' proposition never really became a reality:
"I think there is a good relationship there. I think I have a good relationship with Phil, I believe Tony does too, and I'm not sure really when it comes to him, it's not so much about the money. It's about are you interested in doing this? Because the price tag becomes a lot more justifiable if you're genuinely interested in what we're doing at the high speed we're doing it. And again, that's not even specific to him; just in general, if the passion is not there, the money is not there."
#4. Charlotte Flair confirms details of her surgery, provides an update on WWE return
Charlotte Flair was written off TV via an assault angle at the hands of Nia Jax at the end of June. Jax injured Flair's shoulder and it was later revealed that The Queen had decided to take some time off to undergo surgery.
Dave Meltzer had reported following the RAW angle that Charlotte Flair would not be undergoing shoulder surgery and the injury on RAW was just part of the storyline to explain her absence.
"It's not a shoulder injury, by the way. In the work, it's a shoulder injury, but it's not a shoulder surgery."
Charlotte Flair recently took to Twitter to provide various details about her surgery and a possible timeline for her recovery and WWE return. Flair also indirectly confirmed Meltzer's report and stated that she would be undergoing surgery to fix an issue that came up from a previous plastic surgery.
Charlotte Flair underwent breast implant surgery a long time back and later faced issues of silicone poisoning. Flair noted that she faced the problem before but chose a quick fix that meant she won't miss much in-ring time.
However, a similar problem returned a few months back and she has chosen to go for a long-term solution this time, which includes lengthier recovery time.
Here's what the former Women's Champion revealed in a series of tweets:
Picture it. Charlotte, North Carolina, 2018. A young queen, shortly after a career defining Wrestlemania victory, finds herself sicker than sick at her brother's house.
A trip to the doctor tells us the likely culprit is silicone poisoning, and that my implant had been leaking for quite some time. It was one of the worse cases the doctor had seen.
At that time, I had a few options to fix the issue. Each option had a specific recovery time. I love this job more than anything, so I picked the option that allowed me to return the soonest. That was the choice I made.
Fast forward to a few months ago. Something felt off, so I went back to the doctor. Same issue again. This time, I'm going with an option that I believe will solve the issue long time, even though the recovery period is a little longer than I would like.
#3. Kevin Owens had talks with Vince McMahon about going back to WWE NXT
Kevin Owens is positioned as one of the top Superstars on Monday Night RAW, but there was a time when the Prizefighter very nearly returned to WWE NXT.
Tom Colohue had first reported back in October 2019 that the WWE had prepared a shortlist of names who would be going to NXT.
Last month on an episode of the Dropkick DiSKussions podcast, Tom had also reported that Kevin Owens was one of the many Superstars who expressed his desire to work in WWE NXT again.
During a recent interview with CBS Sports, Kevin Owens confirmed that there were discussions with Vince McMahon about him heading back to NXT.
While he didn't know if it was a short or long-term deal, Owens said that he was quite excited about returning to the Black and Gold brand. However, the situation changed, and he stayed put on RAW and SmackDown. Owens added that he would love the chance to go back and have another NXT run in the WWE.
"For a while there, it looked like I was going to head back to NXT. I had even discussed it with Vince McMahon and stuff like that. I was excited about it, I don't know if it would have been a long or short term thing. I've been vocal about wanting to go back there because I'd love to help make it grow even more and help make it as big as it can get and make it, so we have three brands people know about. I would love for people to be just as aware of NXT as they are about Raw and SmackDown. I would have loved to be a part of that, but some decisions were made that I had to stay put on Raw and SmackDown. That's fine, but I would love the chance to go back."
Owens added that he regularly talks to Triple H and would relish the opportunity to contribute to RAW, SmackDown, and NXT. He wants to be where he is needed and KO's goal is to make a noticeable difference.
#2. Kevin Owens was responsible for the introduction of a facemask policy in WWE
Sean Ross Sapp had first reported on Fightful Select that a Superstar had approached Vince McMahon and expressed his concerns to the WWE Boss regarding the COVID-19 safety procedures that were not appropriately implemented in the company.
Pat Laprade of the french-language Les anti-pods de la Lutte podcast reported that WWE's new facemask policy came into effect after Kevin Owens was the one who raised his concerns with Vince McMahon. POST Wrestling corroborated the report, which was also revealed by Tom Colohue during his RAW review on July 6th. Gary Cassidy had also alluded to the story on the Wrestling Daft podcast.
Kevin Owens finally confirmed the report in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Barrasso.
"At first, the masks weren't being taken seriously enough. Eventually, a fine system was implemented to make sure people took it seriously. That came from me. I thought that the masks weren't being worn seriously enough, so I went and talked to the people in charge. They immediately did what they could to remedy the situation."
Owens added that several changes had been made and they are duly followed at the WWE tapings.
"Last week, I saw the measures that the company was taking, from the testing to the splitting up the crews to make sure Raw and SmackDown wouldn't be there the same day, and sending out very clear very indications that masks were required unless we were in the ring."
#1. Drew McIntyre had to convince Heath Slater to return on WWE RAW
Tom Colohue reported on the most recent episode of the Dropkick DiSKussions podcast that Drew McIntyre had a big role to play in Heath Slater's one-off return on WWE RAW.
McIntyre was noted to be the guy who wants to help his friends' careers and he did that in Heath Slater's case.
Tom revealed:
"That's pretty much exactly what happened. All of Heath Slater's promo was the exact opposite of what had actually happened, and they scripted that knowing that was the case.
Drew McIntyre, as soon as he won the Championship and even beforehand, wanted to try and get feuds going with Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal, and I've reported that with Jinder Mahal right here on this channel and this podcast. While it's not technically a favour to Drew, as in they are not really trying to help him along and he's just really trying to work with the friends and help their careers, this is one where he is able to support them. It's in a way they are able to keep storylines going because quite often, Champions do get to choose their challengers until they get to the big matches when the championships could change hands."
Drew McIntyre confirmed Tom Colohue's report during a recent interview with talkSPORT. The WWE Champion revealed that Slater wasn't too keen on returning, but he convinced his former 3MB stablemate to show up for the WWE RAW segment.
McIntyre also said that he was surprised to read about the report on the internet stating that he was responsible for Slater's WWE return. He admitted to playing a significant role in pushing the idea for the reunion and it coming to fruition on WWE TV.
"The moment at the end was very special, and I was very much pushing for that idea to happen. I think I saw something on the internet saying I was behind it and I'm thinking how are they getting this information?! But yeah, I played a big part in making it happen, and to be honest, Heath was a little bit against it, and I spoke to my wife right before the phone call I made to Heath to try and convince him to come onto the show for the segment."
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