WWE Rumor Roundup: CM Punk wants to return; Hall of Famer to have short return to RAW, and more

We are a week away from SmackDown's debut on FOX, which is set to be an exciting show! In today's WWE Rumor Roundup, we reveal CM Punk's future, a potential change in commentary team, and the future of 205 Live.

There's also news of a new gimmick for a WWE Superstar as well as a WWE Hall of Famer quitting podcasting.

All this in the 27 September 2019 WWE rumor roundup:

#1 CM Punk's possible WWE return

Could Punk possibly return to a WWE ring in the near future?

The CM Punk saga rumbles on, and it seems that rumours of his return to pro wrestling will only subside once he actually signs for a promotion. Cody Rhodes recently revealed that AEW did make an offer and there were "genuine efforts" to sign him to the new promotion,

Also Read: AEW News: Cody Rhodes disputes CM Punk's claim; says genuine efforts were made to sign him

Now, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via NODQ) has said that WWE think that Punk wants to return to the company.

"The impression from WWE is that they believe he wants back in but right now it’s nothing they are counting on doing," said Meltzer about Punk. Meltzer also backed Cody's claim about AEW offering Punk a deal to sign with them, but that the two parties have spoken following that initial conversation.

Punk said this about AEW earlier this year:

“I know they like to talk about me a lot. If I text Matt Jackson, 'Hey, have a great show tonight,' which I did when they had their big show in Vegas, that somehow turns into Tony Khan telling people he has a great relationship with me. I’ve said in the past I’ve talked to them, but nothing ever came of anything."

#2 Jerry "The King" Lawler's future

Jerry "The King" Lawler

Jerry "The King" Lawler is set to return to WWE television as a commentator, and will be a part of a new-look RAW commentary panel, alongside Vic Joseph and Dio Maddin.

Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin has revealed that the WWE Hall of Famer's return to commentary duties will be a short one. He stated that WWE are looking for alternatives for Lawler on RAW.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the decision to hire Maddin as one of the three commentators was taken by RAW executive director Paul Heyman.

Maddin was moved to the 205 Live commentary team earlier this month, before getting his big break and a switch to RAW.

The trio of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Renee Young, who were the previous RAW commentators, have been moved to SmackDown, ahead of the blue brand's switch to FOX next week.

#3 Future of 205 Live

WWE is undergoing several changes, from SmackDown's move to FOX and Friday nights, and NXT's TV debut, to new commentary panels. But, 205 Live has been ignored by WWE, until now.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter has said that 205 Live will also move to Friday nights and will continue to be held after SmackDown Live, but this change could be a temporary one.

The show will air on the WWE Network, and the report states that there have been discussions about shutting 205 Live.

Triple H, who is the head of 205 Live, recently revealed what the future of the brand looks like:

“You’ll start to see 205 begin to (come under NXT). I think it always existed as an island onto itself, a little bit, and it’s become lost in this limbo. You’ll begin to see it move more towards the NXT banner and the talent there. We have a lot of talent. For them to begin to compete either open against anyone or in the cruiserweight division, but have that title sit under the NXT brand is more meaningful. It creates more opportunities for more people."

#4 Lana's return

Lana

Quite a few Superstars have returned recently, including Harper and Rusev, and it seems like Rusev's wife, Lana, could also return soon to the WWE ring. According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE did not re-introduce Lana with Rusev as they reportedly have other plans for her.

#5 Edge quits podcast

Edge

Edge and Christian's E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness podcast has been much-loved by the WWE Universe, but it seems like the podcast - at least the current iteration of it - will come to an end. Edge revealed that he is quitting the podcast as he has to juggle a number of things currently.

Edge's wife Beth Phoenix is now a commentator on NXT which has resulted in Edge having a lot of things to work around.

“As much as it sounds like, ‘Well, how can you not squeeze that [a podcast] in?’, there’s more to it than what you hear of us flapping our gums. There’s the logistics of it – separate schedules, different places, guests, things like that. It just ended up being one of those deals where it’s kind of hard to navigate for me right now," said Edge.