All Elite Wrestling

WWE needs to bring back CM Punk.

It's an idea uttered by fans for nearly a decade now. But this time it has quite a different ring and air of importance to it in the wake of his presumed exit from All Elite Wrestling.

Punk potentially leaving AEW would seem to signal he's done with pro wrestling as a whole—for good this time—given what fans have long understood about his history with WWE and, primarily, a man by the name of Triple H.

However, pro wrestling is a game...one that The Game knows how to play.

It's not an aw-shucks coincidence that there are already rumblings of this sort of thing happening. According to Fightful Select (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Punk would have never returned under Vince McMahon, but the new head of WWE Creative might be slightly more open to the idea.

And WrestleVotes told Louis Dangoor of Give Me Sport that Triple H has been slowly shifting his stance on the idea.

And the question is simple: Why wouldn't he be?

Sure, Wade Keller said on a recent PW Torch VIP Audio show (h/t Ortman) that at least one person near Triple H would never sign off on a Punk return.

But a Punk return would be one of the most stunning moments in modern pro wrestling history. Fans would be hard-pressed to name a scenario that would keep them more gripped and unblinking toward WWE programming and social media accounts than the return of the 44-year-old to the company he battled in a lawsuit after a messy exit—after a seven-year hiatus saw him return to the direct competition, only to often put down WWE.

Furthermore, this is pro wrestling and it's often just straight-up bizarre. The general distaste between Punk and Triple H has always been palpable, so it's only right it's The Game's grip on WWE Creative that gets Punk back.

If McMahon can mend fences with Macho Man, Ultimate Warrior and others, Triple H can do it with Punk for the sake of business and the sport as a whole—just as he helped bridge the gap between Vince and Bruno Sammartino.

Maybe the head of creative doesn't feel so inclined to put bad blood aside like his predecessor has for the sake of the company. But Punk would be the ultimate, unbeatable signal that this new era truly is willing to do whatever the fans most desire.

Punk returning because he "didn't get to finish on his own terms" in either company while taking potshots at WWE's direct competition is a win-win for all. Heck, having him come back as a jaded heel aligned with Triple H as a Corporate Punk for a huge star-making moment for a babyface would be sheer genius (We need an "I'm back in a bad place with bad fans but making boatloads of cash" promo, right?).

Regardless, detractors will point to this being just another aged legend showing up and taking the shine from younger stars. But it's a silly point with Punk given the way he put the likes of Eddie Kingston over in AEW. He'd presumably work an even looser part-timer schedule more akin to Brock Lesnar, too. If he's not in the main event scene, he's boosting up an already improving midcard scene as a new era continues.

Maybe the biggest talking point about Punk in WWE besides the messy exit is the current messy exit from AEW. But the details remain so clouded, unclear and will never be revealed to the point it's hardly worth discussing.

If Triple H believes the WWE ecosystem can prevent such a thing (and it surely can), fans already know the circumstances around Punk's first exit have helped the company modernize greatly in terms of Superstar health and other factors.

And frankly, all of this discussion goes out the window if Punk's static hits during WrestleMania season and the like soon. He's dealing with a lengthy injury, but getting his return on the books and letting a slow-burn of a feud build up will only benefit everyone.

WWE will always get more eyeballs from rolling out the likes of Logan Paul. But it can also appease a big portion of its hardcore fanbase in modern times with a smartly handled Punk return and saga—while letting the company get a one-up in the industry on its biggest competition, possibly making it look bad in the process.

By now, nothing is unbelievable. Punk returning to WWE after all this time and all this...stuff...would almost only be fitting.

And for a guy who would surely like a different swansong in a sport he's passionate about and a company that has forgiven more for less, getting back together only makes sense.

There's still a storybook ending for all involved there, and a once-thought-impossible opportunity sits available and almost painfully obvious.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated has released a list of the top 150 women's wrestlers around the world, headlined by Stardom champion Syuri.

Per PWI, Syuri is the first wrestler from a joshi promotion to rank No. 1 on the list.

The rest of the top 10 features a mix of WWE, AEW, Impact and Stardom superstars. Raw women's champion Bianca Belair checks in at No. 2, followed by AEW women's world champion Thunder Rosa, Becky Lynch and AEW TBS champion Jade Cargill rounding out the top five.

Impact's Jordynne Grace (No. 6) and Taya Valkyire (No. 10) also made the list. Charlotte Flair is the only WWE superstar in the back half of the top 10 (No. 8). Saya Kamitani (No. 7) and Starlight Kid (No. 9) joined Syuri as Stardom wrestlers at the top of the list.

Among the notable omissions from the top 10 were Britt Baker (No. 13) and Ronda Rousey (No. 18).

Pro Wrestling Illustrated's criteria for the rankings include win-loss record, titles won, major feuds, prominence in their promotion and overall wrestling ability. This year's list was determined based on results from Oct. 1, 2021, through Sept. 15, 2022.

Syuri has been the World of Stardom champion since defeating Utami Hayashishita in a winner-take-all match that was also for the SWA world championship at Stardom Dream Queendom in December 2021.

Belair has been Raw women's champion since defeating Lynch at WrestleMania 38. The EST of WWE and Big Time Becks also met in a rematch at SummerSlam, with Belair again winning to retain her title.

Cargill has been the most dominant champion of any women's wrestler in the United States. She has a 40-0 career record in singles and tag matches in AEW since March 2021.

The PWI 150 list highlights the healthy state of women's wrestling around the world.

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

DDP Praises Wyatt

Bray Wyatt's WWE return has drawn overwhelmingly positive feedback, and the ever-positive Diamond Dallas Page isn't going to be the first to throw water on the fire.

Page praised WWE's handling of Wyatt's early booking, giving strong plaudits to how the build was handled.

"I just loved the way they teased it all the way through," Page said on his DDP Snake Pit podcast. "He is one of those creative cats who you got to hold them down, meaning Bray ... He's got all these crazy ideas and bottom line is, that's some really good s--t man. Like, what they, how they went to the crowd and showed the different little characters from his [Fun House], really cool. The lights are all out there and then you think you're not going to see it and boom, the door opens."

Wyatt made his return to WWE earlier this month at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. He's since been appearing exclusively on the SmackDown brand, though Raw has regularly featured his appearances as part of recap segments.

While comparing Wyatt to The Undertaker, Page said he hopes WWE keeps Wyatt a face moving forward rather than attempting to turn him heel.

"How they handled Bray was really good in the beginning before," Page said, "but then it sort of lost and got a little tarnished and then they brought him back with that new style of character, and I thought, 'Okay, where is he going with this,' and it just went and fizzled out and they let him go and I was like, 'Oh my God, how soon before Tony goes to pick him up' ... My question is, that character, how do you make him a heel? ... Maybe they listen to the crowd and they keep him the babyface."

There has not been much teased for the direction of Wyatt's character in terms of face vs. heel alignment, but that's probably for the best. Until there is a full-scale plan in place for what they want from him moving forward, these promos and vignettes are going to keep fans satisfied for the time being.

Triple H Wanted Saraya Back in WWE

When Saraya, then known as WWE's Paige, had her contract expire earlier this year, it looked like the book had closed on a once-promising career. Neck injuries derailed her WWE career, and with no backstage role seemingly in the offing, it appeared she would have to move forward outside of wrestling.

Whoops.

Saraya instead received medical clearances from several doctors and wound up making her debut for AEW last month and is now deep in the midst of a program with Britt Baker. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported WWE attempted to bring Saraya back in a potential general manager role and discussed having her return to in-ring competition as well, but she ultimately chose to sign with AEW.

Saraya told Chris Jericho she wondered whether she could be happy in WWE and praised AEW's creative freedom.

"I miss that side of wrestling where you can pitch your own ideas and you can just have fun. I haven't felt excited about wrestling in a very long time, so the first day of being here, it was awesome. Everyone is so nice. It's crazy just how different it can feel," Saraya said.

No Sign of WWE-GCW Partnership

Joey Janela is once again ribbing the internet.

Or least it appears that way.

Fightful Select reported there has been no indication of WWE and GCW having a working relationship despite rumors of a partnership percolating on the internet. Janela, the now-former AEW star who is a regular in GCW, stoked the flames of the rumors by telling people to tune into SmackDown—all while throwing some shade at AEW's Rampage in the process.

GCW is set to announce a streaming partner on Nov. 1, per Fightful, but it seems highly unlikely that the promotion would join WWE/Peacock. WWE has already scrubbed some of its most controversial content from the past from Peacock after the streaming service bought out WWE Network.

Peacock doesn't seem like a particularly likely home for a wrestling promotion where smashing someone in the head with a light tube is the way to properly say hello.

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