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We welcome you to the first WWE Rumor Roundup of May, and as always, we have several big stories to cover.
Dominik Mysterio is back in the news after a female star pitched the idea of becoming his on-screen girlfriend. The superstar has revealed a few more creative ideas that she personally pitched to Vince McMahon.
A former world champion has revealed that he was uncomfortable with a controversial WWE storyline. Two veteran stars from RAW have opened up about their retirement, with one of them close to hanging up his boots not too long ago before he was given a fresh on-screen role.
We also have all the details regarding a long-time WWE employee's reported release from an important department and why it has been rescinded.
On that note, let's take a look at each story in detail in the latest WWE Rumor Roundup:
#5 Former WWE Superstar CM Punk shows interest in taking up a backstage wrestling role
CM Punk has stayed true to his word and not stepped foot inside a professional wrestling ring since leaving WWE in 2014. Rumors of Punk's in-ring return will always be relevant; however, the 42-year-old veteran might be interested in taking up a role behind the scenes.
During a recent Q&A session on Twitter, a fan asked CM Punk whether he'd be interested in taking over as the creative director of a wrestling promotion. Punk noted that he would definitely "listen," clearly hinting that he would be open to having a creative role in pro wrestling.
Despite not being an active performer, the former WWE Champion has been a vocal critic of the current wrestling scene. He was one of the special guest analysts on WWE Backstage for as long as the Fox Sports show lasted.
CM Punk has been involved in comic book writing since leaving the pro wrestling world. He has also forayed into acting and recently appeared in the movie "Jakob's Wife."
CM Punk has mentioned in the past that he would be ready to return to wrestling for the right angle and absurd amounts of money. However, it's been over seven years since Punk wrestled, and an in-ring comeback seems like a pipe dream.
A creative role, however, sounds like a great alternative.
#4 Randy Orton was uncomfortable with a WWE storyline, reveals retirement plan
Former WWE Champion Randy Orton was a guest on the most recent episode of The Kurt Angle Show. The Viper opened up on several topics, including his thoughts on the WWE No Way Out 2006 storyline with Rey Mysterio.
Randy Orton admitted he felt "uncomfortable" using Eddie Guerrero's death as a means to draw more heel heat.
Rey Mysterio and Vickie Guerrero assured Orton that the late great WWE legend himself would have wanted his death to be used to get the best out of a wrestling angle.
"100% was not comfortable with it. Rey assured me that it's something Eddie would have wanted, and even still, Rey and myself went to Vickie, and Vickie gave us her blessing. She said the same thing. Eddie would have wanted to help you guys in this manner if he could have used his death in some way to help the business as morbid as that sounds; he would have wanted us to do it," Orton said.
While Orton still has a few years left as an active in-ring competitor, The Viper understands that he will have to hang up his wrestling boots someday. His wife, Kim Orton, has been tasked with informing him about the ideal time to retire.
Randy Orton is still physically capable of delivering matches at a very high level, but he understands that his body won't keep up forever. Simply put, Orton's WWE retirement is in Kim's hands.
"My big thing and my wife Kim has promised me, that if she looks at me and she thinks I'm becoming kind of a parody of myself or if I'm unable to do the things that the fans need to be able to physically see me do, in order for them to believe, you know, that an RKO still has as much sting as it once did. You know, if I can't do all those things, she has promised me that she is going to let me know that it's time to hang up the boots, and until then, I'm putting my trust in her, and I'm just going to enjoy what I do because I got great kids. I got five wonderful children. I've got a beautiful home—a beautiful wife. Life is really good," Randy Orton stated.
Randy Orton also talked about Matt Riddle, his awkward backstage meeting with the WWE star, and why the Original Bro reminded him of Kurt Angle.
#3 Backstage updates on recent WWE promotions, John Cone's Talent Relations release canceled
WWE's Talent Relations department has undergone a significant reshuffle as of late, and it all started with Mark Carrano's firing a few days ago. As we had reported earlier, John Laurinaitis was also brought back to his former role as the Head of Talent Relations.
Another major development over the past week was regarding WWE Referee John Cone's reported release from the team.
PWInsider added that John Cone's release had since been rescinded, and the WWE referee is now second-in-command after John Laurinaitis in Talent Relations. Cone was previously the Manager of Talent Relations, but Mark Carrano's firing opened up a spot, facilitating his return to the department.
John Cone was always expected to retain a job as a WWE referee even when he was first released from the Talent Relations department. However, it was noted that Cone's responsibilities have now increased.
John Laurinaitis was originally a Lead Producer in the WWE; that position has now been taken up by Jason Jordan.
Jordan transitioned to a backstage role in 2018 after suffering a career-threatening neck injury. The former American Alpha's new job requires him to manage all WWE producers at the TV tapings. As expected, the 32-year-old star now has more important duties to execute in the company.
Adam Pearce was also reportedly promoted behind the scenes; however, the title of his new role was not disclosed. PWInsider's report added that WWE had also added a few more people to the Talent Relations group.
#5 Chelsea Green on the pitches she made to WWE: Dominik Mysterio's girlfriend, Seth Rollins' follower, and more
Chelsea Green was one of the surprising names on the list of talents that were recently let go by WWE. The former WWE star recently revealed how she pitched more than a dozen ideas to Vince McMahon during a 30-minute meeting with the WWE boss.
Green had various creative angles in mind, and one of them involved becoming Dominik Mysterio's on-screen girlfriend.
The former NXT star also liked the idea of turning into Seth Rollins' disciple. Green noted that she was too afraid to approach Rollins regarding the plan and didn't know Dominik personally.
"Oh my gosh, I had so many. I had a Daisy Duke character; I had a sexy nun character for The Messiah [Seth Rollins]. Like what would be The Messiah's follower or worshipper. I pitched to be Dominik's girlfriend. When it's a girl, I do try to ask because I feel like it's a respect thing. However, I'm too afraid to ask Seth Rollins, and I don't know Dominik, so I just pitched that," Green revealed on Cultaholic's Straight to Hell podcast
In a separate interview, Chelsea Green also revealed that she wanted to join The Fiend and Alexa Bliss at one point in time, but the storyline idea never came to fruition.
#1 MVP nearly retired before he was offered a new WWE role
WWE's decision to get MVP back will be seen as a masterstroke in the years to follow. MVP's WWE in-ring return at Royal Rumble 2020 was never expected to lead to a full-time role. However, one thing led to another, and the former US Champion went on to form a powerful faction on RAW.
During a recent appearance on the After The Bell podcast, MVP revealed that he wanted to retire before the opportunity to become an on-screen manager came his way.
MVP was satisfied with how his career had panned out, and he had no goals of appearing at another WrestleMania. However, he would return to WWE TV as the leader of The Hurt Business, and was instrumental in the revival of Bobby Lashley.
MVP was glad to have experienced an emotional WrestleMania 37 moment with the fans and one of his best friends, Bobby Lashley.
"I had every intention of retiring. While I've had the honor and the pleasure of being in a few WrestleManias, I never thought I'd be in a WrestleMania again. I just thought, okay, that was cool; I never thought at any point thought that I would ever be in another WrestleMania, let alone walking out as a representative of the WWE Champion.
"To be back in the role of talent at a WrestleMania in itself is exhilarating, to be at this WrestleMania, the first one with a crowd in over a year because of the pandemic, and then to walk out with one of my best friends and business partners, from a year ago to now this journey we've made together, it was emotional on that level." H/t WrestlingInc
The former US Champ continues to be a spokesperson for the reigning WWE Champion on RAW. Going by his recent track record, the veteran performer will most likely be an on-screen talent in WWE for the foreseeable future.
