Buying or Selling Latest CM Punk to WWE Rumors, What's Next for John Cena and More

Exiting Crown Jewel and approaching Survivor Series, the rumor mill around pro wrestling and WWE has especially heated up as opposed to calming down.

While the in-ring happenings might feel like holdover material during an "offseason" of sorts for some fans, names like John Cena, CM Punk and LA Knight have a way of making sure the rumors and buzz continue to captivate.

In the background, fans even have to wonder about the creative direction and what shows might appear when after WWE's sale, too, which isn't exactly an annual staple of the rumor mill, either.

Here's a look at the most noteworthy rumors and buzz around pro wrestling and whether fans should buy or sell each whisper from mill.

CM Punk to WWE Expected Backstage

CM Punk returning to WWE seems like a foregone conclusion at this point, with the late-November Survivor Series in Chicago the obvious point of speculation.

And according to BWE (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), the "feeling backstage" is that indeed, Punk will make his big comeback in due time.

That certainly seems to align with outside thinking about the idea ever since Punk got fired from AEW, especially when one zooms out the lens far enough to see how much WWE has changed for the better since his initial departure from the company.

It's also worth noting that, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Joey G. of Wrestling Headlines), the usual people in creative who would know about this sort of thing have yet to get word on any sort of return. But perhaps this is the exception where only one or two people know about something this big and/or this is the type of leak that a company about to get him back would put out.

Regardless, it's easy to buy that the feeling behind the scenes is one of Punk's return being a formality. And indeed, even if it doesn't end up happening at Survivor Series, it feels like a matter of time, especially with WrestleMania season looming.

Verdict: Buying

John Cena at Survivor Series?

John Cena's memorable mini-run in WWE feels like it has come to an end.

Cena went out on his back in Saudi Arabia, a role he's largely embraced while putting over young talent in recent years. That was the case at Crown Jewel after taking a beating at the hands of Solo Sikoa before Instagram posts that seemed to hint at retirement.

But according to BWE (h/t Ortman), there's already talk he could appear at Survivor Series, which has the War Games slant this year.

But it has to be a sell. For one, The SAG strike has ended, which presumably means Cena's non-WWE duties will resume in a hurry. And from a pro wrestling storyline standpoint, it doesn't make sense to waste a Cena appearance on a holdover show. If he's hinting at retirement, that run up to a possible last match at 'Mania needs to start at something like the Royal Rumble, not now.

Verdict: Selling

SmackDown Could Change Nights

It's usually easy to instantly shoot down any rumblings about one of WWE's flagship programs changing nights.

But not this time.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer (h/t Ortman), there's a chance SmackDown could change nights once a new TV rights deal gets struck.

WWE's merger with UFC could be the culprit, with the overarching company possibly wanting to shift a WWE PLE to Friday night and then having a UFC pay-per-view the very next night in the same location for a complete takeover of a city for an event weekend.

And that's...really hard to argue with right now. In fact, the idea would make sense after the merger, with WWE probably not too opposed to the idea of potentially new fans getting exposed to it. SmackDown on a different night would be strange, but it's an easy move to see all involved making.

Verdict: Buying

LA Knight Heat Backstage?

LA Knight is one of, if not the hottest act in pro wrestling right now.

But might he have enough heat to have real backstage heat, too?

According to Booker T on his "Hall of Fame" podcast (h/t Ortman), there are rumblings of a "bad attitude" around Knight.

But this one is a pretty big sell too, as it's hard to imagine WWE would throw Knight into the main event of a show as big as Crown Jewel against a talent like Roman Reigns if that were the case.

It's one thing to reward controversial figures with big opportunities (some would call Logan Paul controversial and he got a shot at Reigns), but another thing entirely to show Superstars that unprofessionalism backstage will still get rewarded.

While it's almost impossible to predict if Knight gets another shot at a very top title in the near future for storyline reasons around those titles, a lack of it won't hint at something nefarious behind the scenes.

Verdict: Selling