Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, and More (2024)

WWE is on the road to SummerSlam on Aug. 3 in Cleveland, a show that figures to settle top rivalries and potentially feature in-ring returns from Superstars such as CM Punk and Rhea Ripley.

Those two headling performers and their status ahead of the summertime spectacular headline this collection of wrestling rumors and innuendo.

Joining them is recently returned former world champion, Seth "Freakin" Rollins," as well as an AEW star reportedly on his way back to television after a lengthy hiatus.

From the moment Drew McIntyre injured CM Punk with a Future Shock DDT in the Royal Rumble match, costing him a spot in the WrestleMania XL main event, it was clear the two would square at some point.

Since the Rumble, Punk has screwed The Scottish Warrior out of the World Heavyweight Championship on three different occasions, making good on his promise that McIntyre would not enjoy the bliss of holding a WWE title.

As the rivalry has intensified over the summer, it appeared more and more likely that the two would clash at SummerSlam in one of the annual event's marquee matches. One-half of that match, Punk, is still working to gain clearance for the match as he comes back from a torn triceps.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com confirmed as much Wednesday, writing, "Punk was in the ring working to get officially cleared by WWE medical, we are told."

If The Best in the World is given the green light, SummerSlam has another main event match to build around. Punk vs. McIntyre has such a hot backstory and rabid fan base behind it that it could realistically be the main event of the August 3 extravaganza.

If not, WWE has a ready-made replacement in The Scottish Warrior vs. Seth "Freakin" Rollins, with both competitors having their own issues with Punk.

One would hope we finally get the long-awaited showdown, some eight months into the story, but a healthy Punk is more important, both for the quality of the match and the man himself.

While the WWE Universe awaits the announcement of Punk vs. McIntyre, it has already received that of Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship.

This is even though she is not technically cleared to return to the squared circle yet.

Johnson reported, "We are also told that Ripley has not been 100% cleared for physicality but sources expect that process to be completed by the PPV. She will not have any physical interactions until she is cleared, so there will be a lot of teases and working around it until she gets the 100% green light."

She is not expected to wrestle until Aug. 3 in Cleveland.

Surprisingly, WWE would go to the lengths of announcing Ripley vs. Morgan for such a big spot, on one of its premiere events, without knowing if one of the two will be cleared to compete. Yes, they have reason to believe that she should be, but there is always that chance that something comes up and Ripley is unavailable.

It is a testament to what Triple H's creative team, Ripley, Morgan, and Dominik Mysterio have been able to do from a storytelling perspective that the impending championship clash is legitimately as eagerly anticipated at SummerSlam as any other match already announced, though.

Assuming Ripley is cleared to compete, expect one of the hottest, loudest reactions of the night for the moment Mami finally gets her hand on the architect of the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported there are no plans to add Seth "Freakin" Rollins to the CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre match, presumably at SummerSlam, at this time.

He continued, reporting that Rollins is expected to be involved in the match, but not as an official participant.

Creatively, it makes sense that Rollins would be involved. He came back from injury and was immediately interjected into their ongoing rivalry, an innocent bystander screwed by Punk's targeting of McIntyre.

One cannot rule out a potential role as guest referee, especially as McIntyre continues to assault them and refuses to apologize for it, or as a member of the commentary team, watching from a distance as his two most hated rivals square off on one of the biggest stages known to WWE Superstars.

Regardless, The Visionary still has an important role to play, even if it is not necessarily a match.

Sammy Guevara has not been seen on television since he wrestled a No Disqualification Match against Powerhouse Hobbs on the Feb. 24 episode of Collision.

According to Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp, his absence from AEW television could be coming to an end.

"...Guevara's return to TV has been discussed over the last few weeks. It should be noted that Guevara has not been suspended over the last couple of months, and has simply not been on television," he wrote.

The Spanish God "was suspended due to a protocol issue regarding his match with Jeff Hardy," a match that continued despite The Charismatic Enigma suffering a concussion.

One of the so-called "pillars" of AEW, Guevara competed in the first match in Dynamite history, a loss to Cody Rhodes, and has been part of several top rivalries and stories since his arrival in the faction in 2019.

A return would only add more experienced and recognizable AEW stars to the mix and provide fans with more top-tier matches featuring performers they know and trust.

His return would mostly be a welcome one, as long as they keep him far away from Chris Jericho.