WWE Rumors on CM Punk's Possible Return, Liv Morgan's Injury and Zoey Stark Backstage
September 6, 2023
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Top Stars Don't Want CM Punk in WWE
In the wake of his firing from All Elite Wrestling, CM Punk's future in the sport has been a hot topic of discussion.
While there has been talk of him possibly going back to WWE, it doesn't sound like too many people in the company are high on the idea.
Per Mike Johnson of PW Insider (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), some of the top stars in WWE were "adamantly against the idea" of Punk coming in and "didn't believe it could happen" anyway.
Johnson did note there were some who viewed the opportunity to bring in Punk as a "chance to make big money," including one top-tier superstar who was all for the idea but knows it's not their call.
On the latest episode of The Hall of Fame podcast (starts at :50 mark), Booker T gave a resounding "no" when asked if he thought Punk would return to WWE:
"No, I don't think so at all. I don't see that happening. Go back and look at some of CM Punk's quotes about WWE over the last seven-eight years. Nothing, man, nothing nothing positive. And my think was I always said, you never know when you might want to cross that bridge again. You just never know. And to think that that might be the company you're gonna stay at forever, that's kinda like wishful thinking."
Punk hasn't wrestled for WWE since walking out of the company after the 2014 Royal Rumble. When he debuted for AEW in August 2021, his first promo saw him address at least some of the reasons why he left wrestling seven years earlier.
"I understand, if you all try to understand that I was never gonna get healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally, staying in the same place that got me sick in the first place," he said.
The former WWE champion has had some contact with the company in recent years. He appeared on FS1's WWE Backstage show in 2019 and was backstage before an episode of Raw in Chicago on April 24.
AEW president Tony Khan announced Punk's contract had been terminated with cause following an investigation into an incident with Jack Perry that occurred backstage at All In on Aug. 27.
This was the second high-profile incident Punk was involved in over the past 12 months. He was in a physical altercation with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in the locker room at All Out 2022 after talking about issues he had with some of AEW's executive vice presidents, a group that includes Omega and the Bucks.
Punk was off television for nine months following the backstage brawl. He was also recovering from a torn triceps that was suffered in his match with Jon Moxley in the main event of the pay-per-view.
Upon returning this summer, Punk had been positioned as the top star on Collision when the show debuted on June 17. His final match in AEW was a victory over Samoa Joe at All In to retain the "real world championship."
Latest on Liv Morgan's Injury
Liv Morgan could be getting closer to making her in-ring return after being sidelined since June due to a shoulder injury.
Per Johnson (h/t Upton), she is expected to meet with doctors next week for a follow-up exam in Birmingham, Alabama.
While this doesn't provide a specific timeline for her comeback, it's a sign that things are at least progressing for the 29-year-old.
Morgan hasn't been seen since being attacked by Rhea Ripley before a scheduled match between the two on the July 24 episode of Raw.
The Australian used a steel chair to attack her opponent's left arm in a way to write her off television.
Morgan previously said on the UpUpDownDown YouTube show (h/t Nick Tylwalk of Wrestling Junkie) on June 3 she had a "torn shoulder." She didn't wrestle for six weeks from May 12 through June 24.
As a result of the injury, she and Raquel Rodriguez vacated the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. They defeated Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler to regain the titles at Money in the Bank when The Queen of Spades turned on her partner.
On the July 17 episode of Raw, Morgan and Rodriguez lost the titles to Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville. Morgan's left arm was noticeably in a brace and wrapped during the match.
When Morgan does make her return, it will be a huge boost to the women's division on Raw. She can be a top star on her own as a potential challenger to Ripley or as part of a duo to help add depth to a what is currently a very weak women's tag team division.
WWE Officials High on Zoey Stark
Even though her alliance with Trish Stratus is over, Zoey Stark's future in WWE appears to be very bright.
Per Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (h/t Upton), WWE officials have been keeping a close eye on Stark from the time she originally signed with the company in 2021:
"We're told that WWE had their eye on her pretty early on, and she gained praise for her resilience in returning from her knee injury, and not missing a beat in the ring. WWE soon after made sure to get multiple looks at her on Main Event, where she got good reviews internally, and helped lead to her Royal Rumble appearance. We're told that not long after the Royal Rumble appearance, she was slated for a call-up to the WWE main roster. By March, NXT was told to wrap up her run there."
Stark was only in NXT for two years before getting added to the main roster in April as part of the 2023 draft when she was selected by Raw. Her first major angle was attacking Becky Lynch during a match with Stratus at Night of Champions.
WWE put Stark in three singles matches against Lynch on Raw over the summer. She even got a victory over The Man on the July 10 episode with some assistance from Stratus.
After Stratus and Lynch settled their feud at Payback when Lynch won a steel cage match, the WWE Hall of Famer berated her protégé before Stark hit her with the Z-360.
It's unclear what's next for Stark, though it may be a tag team with Baszler based on the aftermath of their match on Monday's episode of Raw.
The fact that Stark was a key part of the highest-profile women's feud on the red brand for the past four months speaks well about her upside going forward.
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