2 AEW rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Steve Austin's dream match not happening; WWE against bringing back 9-time world champion; Triple H fires back at Tony Khan

Welcome to another column on AEW rumors we hope are true and some we hope aren't.

With the road to WrestleMania 39 a few months away, WWE has reportedly started mapping out Stone Cold Steve Austin's in-ring return. As such, fans have been chewing on the remote possibility of the Texas Rattlesnake facing a controversial star.

We've now come across a report suggesting the odds for the dream match going down in Hollywood next year. Meanwhile, Triple H brought back a prominent on-screen personality to counter AEW's recent signing.

In addition to these lead stories, we'll cap off the article with a potential spoiler on Jon Moxley's AEW World Championship reign.

#5. Hopefully Not True: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM Punk is not happening anytime soon

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Wrestling fans hadn't forgotten the night of June 13 on RAW when WWE teased blockbuster fantasy warfare between CM Punk and Stone Cole Steve Austin. Then the following year, the two men sat down with Jim Ross for an interview to promote WWE '13, thus adding fuel to their imminent feud.

Despite multiple hints, the match between the two faces of their respective generations didn't come to fruition.

Now, ten years later, rumors of CM Punk leaving AEW have once again given some fans hope of seeing this mega bout in the future.

With WWE potentially showing interest in working with the Chicago native and Austin gearing up for another match, people have expressed their desire to see the two collide at WrestleMania next year.

Dave Meltzer recently turned down the prospect of Austin vs. Punk because the latter may not be released from AEW after all, amid rumors of a contract buyout:

“If you’re looking for the match that’s going to shake up the business, the Punk match is the one, but I don’t know that Punk will have a release (from AEW) – there’s just a lot of issues there.”

We hope this is not true. The Straight Edge Superstar's AEW career seems all but over after he made a travesty of the company with his tirade at the All Out media scrum. With the locker room reluctant to work with him again, it's the best time for Triple H to cut the queue and reconcile with the 44-year-old.

WWE bringing back CM Punk for a WrestleMania bout against Stone Cold would blow the roof of the SoFi Stadium next year.

#4. Hopefully Not True: WWE locker room doesn't want CM Punk back

In the wake of conflicting reports that Triple H is open to doing business with CM Punk, some people within WWE are against welcoming him with open arms.

Dave Meltzer, however, learned that these people don't have a say in The Hunter's decision-making:

"I know people in WWE who absolutely do not want him (Punk) there, but they are not the people on the creative team. Everyone knows what happened in AEW, it’s like, ‘Do we really want that? Do we need that? No we don’t need that, we don’t really want that’. Paul (Triple H) may just go in there and go, ‘Look what happened, we don’t need it’. And they don’t. They don’t need it, and he may just do that."

We hope this backstage belief is not accurate. Whether that's true or not, the company approaching CM Punk would be strictly a business move.

The Second City Saint returning with a lucrative part-time deal will not harm the WWE locker room's equilibrium.

#3. Hopefully True: Triple H re-signed Cathy Kelley in response to AEW bringing in Renee Paquette

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Last month, Cathy Kelley returned to WWE on the RAW brand and resumed her position as a backstage interviewer after a two-year hiatus.

However, the timing couldn't have been more coincidental as Renee Paquette also made her AEW arrival in the same role on Dynamite's debut in Canada. Dave Meltzer believes "there was a connection" between the two massive signings.

We hope this belief is true because Triple H reportedly wanted to bring Paquette back after taking over the creative side of things in the Stamford-based promotion.

Of course, that didn't happen, and it became the catalyst for the company's decision to bring someone of her stature.

#2. Hopefully Not True: Paige VanZant's uncertain AEW future

Paige VanZant's pro wrestling career is yet to make a mark after creating a crossover from MMA last year.

She made several sporadic appearances during The Inner Circle's memorable feud against Men of the Year (w/Dan Lambert and The American Top Team). Earlier this year, VanZant laced up her wrestling boots for the first time in a mixed trios match at Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

That night, she joined forces with Sky and Page to defeat Sammy Guevara, Frankie Kazarian, and Tay Melo. Soon after, she took a break from AEW programming to prepare herself for the next bare-knuckle fight and hasn't been seen since.

Dave Meltzer recently learned that PVZ has "disappeared from all talks backstage" regarding her potential return.

We hope this report is not true. Paige VanZant recently revealed via her Instagram live that she will be back in AEW, though her return timeline is still unknown.

#1. Hopefully True: MJF is set to dethrone Jon Moxley at Full Gear

The stage is all set for Jon Moxley and MJF to slug it out for the prestigious AEW World Championship at Full Gear pay-per-view this Sunday.

Despite his rare title loss to CM Punk at All Out, The Purveyor of Violence has been a force to be reckoned with since regaining gold at the Grand Slam special event.

However, as the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end." According to Bet Online, Friedman is favored to defeat Moxley at the marquee show.

We hope this is true. The Salt of the Earth needs a long and fruitful title reign to cement himself as the main event guy in the promotion. Tony Khan should pull the trigger on MJF if he wants the 26-year-old to become the future cornerstone of the company.

A decisive win against a star of Moxley's stature will help put Friedman on the map in pro wrestling today.

Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE