WWE Rumors on Will Ospreay, Brock Lesnar, Crown Jewel; Latest on CM Punk and Impact

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

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WWE Reportedly Interested in Signing Ospreay

When New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Will Ospreay hits free agency in the coming months, he will reportedly be firmly on WWE's radar.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is "very, very interested" in Ospreay, and Ospreay is "absolutely" going to listen to any offer the company makes.

In an interview with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Ospreay confirmed his potential interest in WWE and other North American companies, saying:

"As age has become more apparent to me and my body is hurting more and more, I'm open to all avenues. I've had a lot of talks with my friends about this, and I have spoke to the missus. Although we've spent so much money on our new kitchen, we are open to the idea of relocating to the United States.

"It's on the table, that's all I can really say. That means I am open to all options going forward."

Earlier this year, Ospreay divulged that his NJPW contract expires in February 2024, meaning a bidding war could be in the offing during a key time on the WWE calendar.

February is right in the middle of the road to WrestleMania 40, and if WWE can find a way to sign Ospreay, it would put the company in position to possibly allow Ospreay to make his in-ring debut on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Of course, WWE figures to face stiff competition when it comes to signing a man considered by many to be the best in-ring performer in the world.

NJPW will likely be a factor in terms of trying to keep him, while AEW and Impact Wrestling should be in the mix as well.

If Ospreay intends to leave New Japan, AEW may have the upper hand due to the fact that he has wrestled several matches for the company and has worked with many key members of the roster.

Ospreay has also wrestled for Impact, including a critically acclaimed match against Mike Bailey this past weekend at Bound For Glory.

Impact's issue is likely the fact that it won't be able to compete with the financial offer AEW and WWE are able to make Ospreay.

For Ospreay, WWE represents the great unknown since he has never done anything with the company, but it also offers him the highest ceiling in terms of the popularity, fame and fortune he can achieve.

WWE is firing on all cylinders, and it can be argued that it has less of a need for Ospreay than the aforementioned companies, but the possibility of delivering Ospreay matches against the likes of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Gunther, Logan Paul and a host of others could make him a very attractive option to WWE in free agency.

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Lesnar Reportedly Not Scheduled to Appear at Crown Jewel

Brock Lesnar reportedly won't be part of next weekend's Crown Jewel premium live event in Saudi Arabia next weekend, meaning his WWE hiatus is set to continue.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), WWE immediately sold out Crown Jewel with what it already had advertised, so the decision was made to save Lesnar for future shows.

PWInsider.com also noted that Crown Jewel will mark the first time Lesnar is not featured on a premium live event in Saudi Arabia.

Lesnar is one of WWE's biggest draws, and the company typically likes to stack the Saudi Arabian shows with those types of Superstars, but there is already a ton of star power being advertised.

Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight for the undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and Logan Paul vs. Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship are among the top matches announced, plus John Cena and Cody Rhodes are being advertised for the show.

During the spring and summer, Lesnar had a three-match trilogy against Rhodes, which concluded with Cody winning the rubber match at SummerSlam in August.

Lesnar shockingly shook Rhodes' hand and hugged him afterward, and the Beast Incarnate has not been seen on WWE programming since then.

The start of the road to WrestleMania is not too far away, so it makes plenty of sense for WWE to save Lesnar for that time of year.

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Impact Reportedly May Be Unable to Meet Punk's Contract Demands

Although there has been some recent speculation about a potential working relationship between CM Punk and Impact Wrestling, it may be difficult for Impact to make it happen.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Punk was making "15 to 20 times" more annually in AEW than Impact typically pays its top talent.

Fightful also reported that people close to Punk recently said they do not believe he wants to sign with Impact.

Haus of Wrestling's Nick Hausman reported this week that Punk was backstage for the Impact Wrestling tapings on Sunday, which was the day after Bound For Glory. The tapings took place in Punk's hometown of Chicago, and he reportedly spoke with several talents.

Hausman also reported that Punk's close friend, Ace Steel, worked as a producer at the tapings, which may have been part of the reason Punk was there.

Punk was released by AEW in September following a reported backstage altercation at All In, leading to rumors and speculation about him potentially going back to WWE for the first time since leaving the company in January 2014.

However, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported recently that WWE higher-ups told him they are not in talks with Punk, nor are they pursuing him currently.

While that could possibly change at some point, Impact perhaps represents the best option for Punk if he wants to continue is pro wrestling career in the immediate future.

Although Impact may not have the funds needed to give Punk a competitive, full-time contract, sources suggested to Fightful that he could likely have a one-off match if he wanted to, and that he would possibly be open to it.

Impact is the clear No. 3 North American pro wrestling promotion behind WWE and AEW, but given Punk's star power and name recognition, getting him on the show in any capacity would be the type of massive boost Impact needs to get back in the mainstream wrestling conversation.

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