Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors: Latest on CM Punk, Tommaso Ciampa and More

CM Punk is back, and it took around five minutes of his first promo for the effects of his All Elite Wrestling return to be felt backstage.

That impact headlines this week's collection of rumors from around the wrestling world, which also features an update on plans for the returning Tommaso Ciampa in WWE and the expected main event of Sunday's AEW Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

Dive deeper into each of those topics with these insider reports.

Latest on Plans for Tommaso Ciampa

Tommaso Ciampa returned to WWE television Monday on Raw, more closely resembling the former NXT champion who dominated the black-and-gold brand for years and less like The Miz's lackey.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the 38-year-old will join former tag team partner and close friend Johnny Gargano in The Way.

It is a welcome return to some sort of normalcy after Ciampa was called up to the main roster in 2022 and inexplicably paired with The Hollywood A-Lister, an against-type crony for a guy he would have punched in the face as soon as he got the chance in NXT.

Ciampa and Gargano have a long and intertwined history, so it makes sense to put them back on-screen together until they find their footing on the main roster.

Whether the plan is for a tag team or to let The Way enjoy a substantial, star-building run a la The Judgment Day remains to be seen but it is inarguable that Ciampa is in a better place now than he was when he was taking beatings on behalf of The Miz.

Update on CM Punk, His Collision Promo and the Backstage Vibe in AEW

Mike Johnson of PWInsider Elite reported that CM Punk's Collision promo was "100 percent off-the-cuff."

Perhaps that is why the locker room is again divided, according to Dave Meltzer during an appearance on POST Wrestling with John Pollock and Brandon Thurston.

Meltzer described the divisiveness was "at a pretty bad point" again, with both sides taking exception to the other taking their issues public instead of keep them in-house, as had been the agreement from the start.

Punk made light of perceived "softness" on the part of The Elite while Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks openly mocked the former world champion during a trios main event in Chicago back in November 2022.

Assuming Meltzer's report is accurate, and there is any chance that Punk and The Elite will ever truly get along enough to work harmoniously in the same company, there likely needs to be a proper discussion in which both sides clear the air behind the scenes.

They do not have to work together on-screen, but history will repeat itself at some point if the two sides do not patch things up rather than relying on lawyers and management to relay messages and play middle people.

As for the Collision promo, it felt very much like an unscripted one. Given the emotion and the red-hot crowd, it was for the best, even if it stirred up internet speculation and backstage reports about hurt feelings.

The Main Event of Forbidden Door Will Be...?

Johnson also reported that Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay II is expected to headline Sunday's Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

The two kicked off 2023 with a Match of the Year candidate at WrestleKingdom 17 that earned rave reviews and had some calling it the greatest match of all time.

While there is nothing quite like social media hyperbole that leans heavily on recency, the match was excellent and lived up to heightened expectations. Those expectations will be even higher come Sunday night in Toronto and it will be on Ospreay and Omega to exceeded the original.

Making matters more difficult is a jam-packed card that also features a dream match between Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada, the latest in the battle between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club, and what could be a show-stealer in MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi.

A one-match-show this is not.

The real question is whether there are any plans for Ospreay to stick around and potentially participate at All In on August 27. If so, expect a screwy finish that sets up a third showdown between the two of the biggest stage AEW has ever appeared on.