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Welcome back to another packed edition of the AEW News Roundup. Today's lineup features some exciting stories, and we unsurprisingly lead with an update on CM Punk.
The AEW-bound wrestler has been training for his return and we have all the details on his current status.
A former AEW star was recently spotted after months of absence, and he looks absolutely unrecognizable!
Elsewhere, another former WWE star dropped a big teaser of his comeback, and all roads point towards an AEW debut. The Max Caster controversy is one of the biggest stories in AEW. A WWE Hall of Famer star recently commented on The Acclaimed member's situation during an appearance on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted.
During a recent interview, Malakai Black also spoke about Paul Heyman's run as RAW's Executive Director and revealed a previously unknown backstage detail.
On that note, here is the latest AEW News Roundup:
#5. Update on CM Punk's in-ring training ahead of his rumored AEW debut
Based on all the rumors going around, CM Punk is all but set to make his AEW debut on the "The First Dance" Rampage special in Chicago on August 20th.
CM Punk is part of a Starz TV series on wrestling called 'Heels,' and he has done some training for the show. Fightful Select reported that CM Punk has also been training on his own in preparation for his first AEW match.
Fightful spoke to several wrestlers and crew members of 'Heels', and they received only positive feedback about CM Punk. The former WWE champion has been working in the ring for the past six months, and a source close to Punk said the superstar looked completely healthy.
The source compared Punk's current condition to the tail end of his WWE career. Another person revealed that CM Punk has been looking "very good" in the ring and wondered whether the former WWE star was training privately before joining the 'Heels' cast.
CM Punk is 42 years old and has wrestled in over seven years. While ring rust might be a real issue, it was also revealed that Punk came across looking like he never left wrestling during his recent training sessions.
Are you hyped for CM Punk's return to the ring? If you aren't already, the latest backstage news on his training should ideally spark some interest.
#4. Former AEW star Jimmy Havoc looks unrecognizable in new photo
A photo of former AEW star Jimmy Havoc has surfaced online in which he looks completely unrecognizable.
The image, which NoDQ and WebisJericho verified, has Havoc taking a mirror selfie. It was also added that the wrestler has taken up a regular job and currently works at a courier service called 'DPD.'
You can check out the photo below:
AEW released Jimmy Havoc in August of last year after his name came up during the #SpeakingOut movement.
The former AEW star was accused of physical and verbal abuse from an ex-partner. Various other disturbing details about Havoc's personal problems came to light.
Havoc returned to the U.K. and has maintained complete social media silence since his AEW exit. Before being released, though, the British wrestler underwent counseling and rehabilitation last year for mental health and substance abuse problems.
Jimmy Havoc was one of the first wrestlers to be signed by AEW, and his last match for the company happened in June 2020. He teamed up with Kip Sabian in a losing effort against The Young Bucks.
Havoc is 37 years old and has been wrestling since 2004. As things stand, we don't know whether he plans to return to the squared circle.
#3. Buddy Murphy's epic teaser amid rumors of an AEW debut, connection to Malakai Black
Buddy Murphy released a fantastic promo recently, and there seems to be an obvious connection to AEW's Malakai Black.
In a new clip released on social media, Murphy was shown locked up in a prison/psychiatric facility. The vignettes featured Murphy bouncing off a wall wearing a white jumpsuit with the initials BKS88.
BKS88 stands for 'Best Kept Secret 88', with the numbers referring to his birth year (1988). As noted, the former WWE star's clip has a connection to Malakai Black, who had posted a similar video before his AEW debut.
Black had revealed in his promo months ago that he was in a long-running battle with a fellow inmate named 'Matthew.' There is speculation online that Murphy's second name during his post-WWE run will be Matthew.
The prison setup in both Murphy's and Black's vignettes hint towards the two former WWE stars crossing paths soon.
As reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW and IMPACT Wrestling have both shown interest in working with Murphy.
The former Cruiserweight Champion's non-compete clause will end on August 31st. Murphy is already scheduled to face AEW's Brian Cage for Battle Championship Wrestling in September.
AEW seems like the ideal landing spot for Murphy following his WWE release, and he is apparently on course to rekindling his rivalry with Black.
#2. Stevie Ray comments on Max Caster's controversial rap on AEW Dark
As reported, Max Caster was pulled from this week's AEW Dark following public outrage over his controversial rap from the latest episode.
The Acclaimed member took shots at Olympic gymnast Simone Biles while also addressing the Duke Lacrosse allegations. The verse was deemed insensitive by the wrestling community.
WWE Hall of Famer Stevie Ray appeared on the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted and shared his thoughts on Max Caster's situation in AEW.
Stevie Ray was critical of Max Caster and AEW and slammed them for resorting to cheap heat. The former WCW Tag Team Champion was a heel during his prime and recalled that he never had to use cheap tactics to draw heat.
Ray added that Max Caster's AEW career would be in jeopardy if he continues to fall back on unacceptable methods to garner heat as a bad guy:
"First of all, I played a heel for a long, long time. Even after WCW, for years, I was going back and forth overseas, I played a heel for a long, long time. I never had to resort to cheap heat. I'm a bad dude. I don't need cheap heat like a Colby Covington (UFC star). This guy, Max Caster, or whatever his name is, if you resort to that, you ain't got a career in front of you, anyway. And for a company to resort to that, especially a company that is owned by a person of color, supposedly. So maybe some people that are in this country are people of color, that would be deemed as people of color, but in your own mind, you are not," said Stevie Ray. H/t Arpit Shrivastava of Sportskeeda Wrestling
During the latest UnSkripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone, Stevie Ray also spoke about how black people in the United States get castigated despite their accolades. You can check that out and more in the video above.
#1. AEW's Malakai Black on his relationship with Paul Heyman and the veteran's stint as RAW's Executive Director
AEW's Malakai Black was the guest on a recent Talk is Jericho episode, and the former WWE star opened up about the experience of working with Paul Heyman.
Black was one of Heyman's projects during the latter's time as the creative head of RAW. Malakai Black revealed that he 'meshed' well with Paul Heyman from day one and had immense love and respect for the WWE manager.
Unlike many people in the business, Black noted that Heyman was always blunt and honest during their interactions. The AEW star stated that Heyman had massive plans for the younger guys, including himself and Murphy.
Heyman even told Black once that he had complete creative control of RAW for only one night throughout his tenure as the Executive Director. Here's what AEW's Malakai Black had to say:
"Since day one, me and Paul meshed. I love that man," Black expressed. "I have so much love for that man. He's always been really good to me. He's been blunt with me, which I appreciate. I appreciate people being blunt with me. I don't like to dance around subjects, just tell me how it is, especially in this business. Paul had big ideas with not just me, but with a lot of younger people like Buddy Murphy being one of them as well. He once told me that he had one night of control. That was the first night he was on, and after that, everything became a fight." H/t WrestlingInc
Malakai Black has made a solid start to his AEW career, where he has been given the creative freedom to explore his unique character. As for Heyman, the former advocate for Brock Lesnar currently has his hands full as Roman Reigns' special counsel on SmackDown.
