Undertaker Praises Edge; Bayley Injury Update; CM Punk Talks AEW Booking Criticism
December 13, 2021
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.
Undertaker Calls Edge His Favorite Current WWE Superstar
WWE @WWE⚱️ <a href="https://twitter.com/undertaker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@undertaker</a> answered our questions on <a href="https://twitter.com/tiktok_us?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tiktok_us</a>!<br><br>Which questions would YOU ask <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheDeadman?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheDeadman</a> if you had the chance? 🤔⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/Ygtoo0eQIc">pic.twitter.com/Ygtoo0eQIc</a>
Call this one fulfilling the letter of the law but not the spirit. The Undertaker fielded questions in a WWE social media post, calling Edge his favorite current Superstar.
Of course, Edge is an Attitude Era wrestler who just so happened to continue wrestling deep into his 40s. It's natural that the Undertaker would gravitate toward a contemporary, though we might have preferred him picking a younger person on the roster.
Taker went on to say Rey Mysterio has his favorite ring gear, and Andre The Giant was the one opponent he wished he could have faced. If you're looking for a more contemporary answer, The Deadman is a fan of Drew McIntyre's ring entrance.
Bayley Teases Comeback
Bayley has been out of action since tearing her ACL in July, but she's apparently gearing up for a return.
“So my knee is doing great, my ankle is doing great, my calf is doing great, my shin is doing great, my hip is doing great. My mind is doing great,” Bayley said during a recent Instagram Q&A. “So it’s only a matter of time. I’m not going to tell you when and I don’t want all these idiots watching to know when. But I’m going to be coming back soon, maybe, no. Y’all better be ready, better be ready.”
No timetable has been given for her return. ACL tears typically result in an absence of several months, potentially up to a year. Bayley would be nearing the seven-month mark by the time the Royal Rumble takes place at the end of January, which is the lower end of a reasonable return timeframe.
Don't be surprised if Bayley winds up being a surprise entrant come January.
CM Punk Compliments AEW's Booking Style
Say this about AEW: It's rare that anyone says the company holds onto a storyline for too long. While there are some notable exceptions, AEW tends to keep their matchups and storylines fresh rather than pushing them over the course of several months.
Some have wondered whether that will cause a burnout of potential matchups, but CM Punk sees it as a positive.
“They can trust AEW as a whole for the direction where stuff goes," Punk said at C2E2. "The fans I understand they want to know the behind-the-scenes stuff. They want to peel back the curtain. Everyone is an armchair booker. I am. Everyone is an armchair coach, quarterback, whatever. It’s human nature for you to watch sports and say, ‘Why did you put this guy in?’ 'Why is he on the bench?’ You know blah blah. It’s no different I think with pro wrestling and with the fans.”
Punk acknowledged that some fans have been critical of his booking since joining AEW, which has largely featured matches against midcard talent. Now that he's going head-to-head with MJF, Punk says fans will get the payoff they've been looking for.
“To me, one of the best things about AEW is we enjoy the payoffs," Punk said. "We like making the fans happy instead of just for some reason making them miserable and doing stuff just to piss them off. Sometimes the happiest outcome is the most obvious one. We don’t really feel the need to beat anyone over the head with switching it just because they figured it out first. I enjoy making the fans happy. That’s one of the biggest–that’s like the juice for being a pro wrestler is getting reactions out of the crowd. When it comes to him and me you ain’t see nothing yet.”
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