Drew McIntyre on CM Punk; Jim Ross Talks Edge, AEW Buzz; WWE Rumors on Gable Steveson

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

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McIntyre Calls Punk Controversial

In the wake of CM Punk's termination from AEW, there has been a great deal of speculation among fans regarding Punk potentially making his WWE return and competing for the company for the first time since January 2014.

While there isn't yet any concrete evidence that there is mutual interest between the two sides, it is likely that talk will persist for as long as Punk remains a free agent.

That has led to some current WWE Superstars being asked to give their thoughts about the possibility of Punk returning.

Among them was Drew McIntyre, who said the following about Punk while speaking to Riju Dasgupta of SportsKeeda Wrestling (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News): "I mean, I don't make those decisions. I watch what I say in interviews. But he's [CM Punk] certainly controversial and he gets people talking. So, I'll leave it at that."

Punk didn't leave WWE on positive terms in 2014, but after more than seven years away from wrestling, he returned as part of AEW in 2021, and hopes were high regarding how far he could potentially take the upstart company.

While Punk increased ratings, helped sell out events, had some great matches and rivalries, and won the AEW World Championship twice, his time with the promotion was largely tumultuous.

Punk was reportedly involved in multiple backstage dust-ups, and the decision was made to part ways with him after he and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry reportedly got into it backstage at All In at Wembley Stadium in London.

If Punk wants to continue wrestling, he doesn't have many realistic options outside of WWE, so he will continue to be linked to his former employer moving forward.

WWE is enjoying a great deal of financial success and doesn't necessarily need Punk, but there is little doubt that he would add even more intrigue to the product.

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Ross Doesn't Expect Edge in AEW

Despite rumors to the contrary, AEW announcer Jim Ross does not anticipate WWE Hall of Famer Edge to sign with AEW.

Last month, Edge faced Sheamus on an episode of SmackDown in his hometown of Toronto. Edge announced that it would be his final match in Toronto and said it was also the final match on his WWE contract, which expires at the end of September.

This led to speculation that Edge could potentially opt to sign with AEW, and the whispers grew louder when PWTorch's Wade Keller reported that Edge "presented to WWE what it would take to retain his services, but WWE declined to meet his request."

Keller followed that up by noting that people within WWE expected Edge to sign with AEW due to the two sides being unable to reach an agreement.

Shortly thereafter, Edge posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he refuted the report:

Edge denied that WWE had rejected his requests and said he had a contract offer from the company in his inbox. He also suggested that he was considering retirement due to his belief that it would be tough to top his match with Sheamus in Toronto.

Even so, there has continued to be plenty of talk among fans about Edge going to AEW, but JR does not personally see it happening.

Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Ross said he hasn't heard talk from anyone within AEW about Edge joining the company, and he also doubted the likelihood of it happening:

"You know, out of all the time I spent around talent at All Out weekend, not one of them ever mentioned to me about [Edge] coming in. Maybe at the after-party, I don't know, I didn't go to that, but yeah, it would be great, but I haven't given it much thought.

"I mean, but how about Edge vs Kenny Omega, Edge vs Will Ospreay. There are many ways you can capitalize on this, but I haven't heard anything. I don't even know if it's feasible. I have heard through the grapevine that WWE has an offer on the table for him. It is a significant one, as it should be. I don't know, but it's a long shot at best that [Edge] comes to work for AEW. I signed him and Christian on the same day back in the day, with their grandiose salary of $200 a week."

Of course, Edge has some significant links to AEW with Christian Cage being the biggest one, as they are lifelong friends who came into WWE together and were one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

Additionally, Edge is close with FTR members Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, who could potentially help draw him to AEW as well.

Edge is nearing the end of his spectacular career at 49 years of age, but whichever company signs him should still be able to squeeze a few more great rivalries and matches out of him.

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No Current NXT Plans Reportedly in Place for Steveson

Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Gable Steveson remains under contract with WWE, but there are reportedly no immediate plans for him to appear on television again in the near future.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Upton), Steveson beat Dante Chen at a pair of NXT house shows last week, but as of now, there are no plans for him on NXT TV.

The 23-year-old Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 shortly after he won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling. Meltzer reported that there were initially big plans for him to debut on the main roster, but WWE pumped the brakes and sent him to NXT instead.

Steveson began making NXT appearances over the summer, and he made his in-ring debut at the Great American Bash in July, fighting Baron Corbin to a double count-out.

The crowd did not receive Steveson well, which could potentially be part of the reason why WWE decided to pull him from NXT programming.

Per Meltzer, Steveson has a fairly significant contract due to WWE's belief that he was going to be the company's next Brock Lesnar, but it hasn't happened yet.

There was some thought that Steveson would go back to amateur wrestling and attempt to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but he is no longer listed as competing at the world championships after initially being part of the Team USA roster.

That could mean Steveson is focusing solely on WWE moving forward, but the company seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach before making more substantial plans for him.

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