WWE Rumour Roundup: CM Punk could return and work with Renee Young, legend turns down match against AEW star - 24th August 2019

Welcome to our daily WWE rumor round-up. We've got to admit; the folks in charge of the rumor mills have been slacking off in the past few days as there haven't been too many noteworthy bits of speculation.

However, we've still unearthed five that have been doing the rounds.

CM Punk was back in the news and it unsurprisingly pertains to working with the WWE again. A WWE legend's son could bypass NXT and be fast-tracked for a main roster debut.

Jon Moxley suffered an unfortunate injury that forced AEW to remove him from his scheduled All Out match against Kenny Omega. A new update on his in-ring status and return were brought to light.

Jerry Lawler, at 69 years old, was offered a match against a popular AEW Star. Finally, there were a few backstage updates regarding the Clash of Champions card.

Allow us to elaborate...

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#1. CM Punk's agent reaches out to the WWE for a hosting gig

We may never see the Cult of Personality wrestle again inside a WWE ring. The situation hasn't changed from that end, however, CM Punk may be interested in working with Vince McMahon's company in a different capacity.

As we all know, SmackDown Live will be moving to the Fox Network in October and WWE have already announced a talk show on FS1 to complement the blue brand's weekly offering.

Dave Meltzer revealed on the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Punk's agent reached out to Fox regarding the former WWE Champion possibly working as a co-host on the talk show, which is slated to be hosted by Renee Young on FS1 on Tuesdays.

It's interesting to note that both WWE and Punk are represented by talent and sports agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA). While the proposal made by Punk's agent to Fox executives is a promising sign, Meltzer felt that the WWE won't be too high on a possible deal.

Here's what Meltzer wrote in the Newsletter:

What we do know that is interesting is that CAA, which represents Punk and also represents WWE, has had an agent reach out to FOX head honchos about Punk as a co-host of the upcoming new FS 1 talk show. From a WWE standpoint, my gut is that they'd hate the idea. He'd be working for FOX, not WWE. We're told there have been no negotiations at all regarding that. The impression is WWE wouldn't like it but things change daily.

It's only something Punk's agent brought up and not anything that it's clear Punk wanted, although he has seemingly been looking into commentary and he is doing lower-level MMA commentary right now. Another person close to the situation noted that Punk could play the game correctly and get himself a great deal, and even though business comes before personal likes and dislikes with WWE and should with AEW as well, Punk is in a situation where both sides on a personal basis don't like him.

#2. Jerry Lawler receives an offer to wrestle Orange Cassidy

Yes, you read that right. Jerry 'The King' Lawler was offered the chance to wrestle Orange Cassidy for indie promotion Game Changer Wrestling, as revealed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The WWE Hall of Famer showed where his loyalties lay and turned down the proposal.

Orange Cassidy recently signed a contract with All Elite Wrestling after proving to be one of the most popular talents on the indie circuit. His unorthodox gimmick and indolent style of wrestling have attracted many fans, which was evident from the reactions he garnered during his appearance at AEW's Double or Nothing.

Despite being 69 years old, Jerry Lawler continues to wrestle sporadically for a few independent promotions and has been involved in six matches thus far in 2019.

While Lawler still makes non-wrestling appearances for the WWE - the most recent one happening on the latest episode of Raw - the King of Memphis has the freedom to wrestle for small-time promotions. However, he would have to be careful going forward as AEW is snapping up various indie talents.

The Newsletter stated:

Lawler got an offer to do an indie bout with Orange Cassidy over the next few weeks. I believe it was in Chicago over All Out weekend for Gamechanger. He said no way and was shocked Cassidy was signed by AEW. Lawler is at this point scheduled to work with Mance Warner.

Lawler will take on Mance Warner on Friday, August 30th at a joint event hosted by Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) and Black Label Pro (BLP).

#3. Dominick to skip NXT

It's pretty obvious. The current Rey Mysterio angle involving his son Dominick is leading up to the in-ring debut of the Mysterio scion. However, it's worth noting that Dominick may avoid going through the grind on WWE's famed developmental system.

As reported by Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue, WWE officials feel like the current direction on the main roster is the best option available to introduce Dominick to the WWE Universe.

"WWE don't necessarily believe that #nxt is the best way to get him over. Instead, a storyline involving his father is considered a better option."

#wwe don't necessarily believe that #nxt is the best way to get him over. Instead, a storyline involving his father is considered a better option. https://t.co/hfh6g4c131

— Tom Colohue (@Colohue) August 15, 2019

Tom further went on to state that WWE are no longer planning on treating NXT as a development brand post its move to live tv on the USA Network and that a handful of talents would not be required to spend some time on the yellow brand.

Since then, I have learned via backstage sources that the NXT's proposed move to USA may have had some part in this. One source told me that with NXT elevating to the level of a Raw or a SmackDown, it would no longer be seen as the developmental brand and so some superstars that might not require further development would be skipping the brand altogether.

The current storyline featuring Dominick and his iconic father is certainly being done to facilitate the proverbial 'passing of the torch' moment. On the most recent episode of Raw, Rey Mysterio seemed to be on the verge of announcing his retirement before Dominick stepped in to prevent it from happening.

The success of this storyline rides on how WWE treats it and we can only hope the booking is strong in this one. Most importantly, is Dominick ready for such a big jump? Only time will tell.

#4. Jon Moxley injury update

In an unfortunate turn of events, Jon Moxley was forced to pull out of his bout against Kenny Omega which is scheduled to take place on August 31st at AEW All Out.

The former WWE Superstar released the following statement on Twitter:

I'm absolutely gutted to have to deliver this news but I'd rather it come directly from me. In a nightmare scenario, a serious case of MRSA has returned in my elbow. The timing couldn't be worse. In this circumstance, I am forced to pull out of the fight 8/31 vs Omega at All Out.

I apologize to all involved, most importantly the fans. I am incredibly frustrated. I'll have surgery this week to remove the bursa sac in my elbow and be done with it for good. Should be a quick recovery so I will be 100% for AEW Wednesday nights on TNT.

Still, I expect All out to be an amazing ppv and hope all the fans out there looking for an alternative tune in. You will be blown away by AEW and be excited to be a wrestling fan. I'm looking forward to watching as a fan myself

In an update released on Wrestling Observer's Daily Update, Moxley's doctor feels that the former WWE Champion will miss four weeks of action due to an MRSA staph in his left elbow.

PAC, formerly known as Neville during his WWE stint, has already been announced to replace Moxley at AEW's All Out PPV.

Moxley is still expected to face Josh Barnett at Game Changer Wrestling's Bloodsport 2 event on September 14th.

#5. Clash of Champions match card

WWE's next PPV, Clash of Champions will be live on September 15th from the Spectrum Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The card has only two matches confirmed as of this writing and they are as follows:

Bayley (C) vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE SmackDown Women's Championship)

King of the Ring finals: TBD vs. TBD

So how will the final match card look like? Based on current storyline trends and backstage information, Dave Meltzer provided updates on what to expect at the showcase of champions.

Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman are pencilled in to face each other for the Universal Championship. The WWE Championship match will see Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston in a rematch from SummerSlam. Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch should ideally square off against each other for the Raw Women's title.

It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Shinsuke Nakamura could defend the Intercontinental Championship against The Miz. Nakamura will go into the match flanked by Sami Zayn as his new manager. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan is another match that is being built up for the PPV with the mystery attacker angle serving as the foundation of the feud.

There is currently nothing planned for the United States, Cruiserweight and Women's Tag Team titles but that could all change as we inch closer towards the show.

Are you excited about how the Clash of Champions card is shaping up to be? You can also share your thoughts regarding the other rumors covered in today's edition in the comments section below.