Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on CM Punk, WrestleMania and More

Is WrestleMania 43 in 2027 heading overseas to Saudi Arabia?

The Showcase of the Immortals potentially being staged outside of North America for the first time in its four-decade history headlines this week's wrestling rumor mill.

There are also updates on CM Punk and Stephanie Vaquer, plus news about a devastating injury to an All Elite Wrestling star who recently returned from a long hiatus.

Dive deeper into those topics with this collection of insider updates.

WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia

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In a since-deleted video, Saudi Arabian adviser Turki Alalshikh revealed Wednesday WrestleMania 43 will take place in Saudi Arabia, making it the first Showcase of the Immortals to take place outside of North America.

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported: "One WWE higher up said 'where there's smoke, there's fire,' without outright confirming it. They claimed that Triple H's comments about inspiring change this week may have prefaced an incoming announcement."

Sapp added: "Those that we spoke to claim there is an announcement planned for this week that was scheduled for Friday in Las Vegas. This would make sense with TKO promoting Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez in Vegas, sponsored by Riyadh Season."

During the week of a major event such as Crawford vs. Alvarez, it is logical that WWE and TKO would look to take advantage of the increased spotlight and attention by making an announcement of such significance.

That it's so close to the upcoming Wrestlepalooza debut on ESPN only helps make that decision that much easier.

With regard to he September 20 event, Sapp noted: "The belief internally was that the company looking to establish Wrestlepalooza branding immediately as an important deal was also a way to help spread out major global events and land more site fees and create events that locations were willing to bid on."

WWE was an international brand even before the TKO takeover. The new owners, though, see bigger and better opportunities for revenue increases outside the borders of North America and have been aggressive in proving as much, with numerous premium live events taking place overseas since the changeover.

As a result, what once seemed like only a possibility—hosting WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia—now appears to be becoming a reality.

CM Punk Injured?

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Despite a fan video of CM Punk appearing to smack his back on the ring apron while exiting the squared circle on Monday night, PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson asked around and The Best in the World is fine.

The concern was a non-factor ultimately, which is a good thing for WWE as Punk has a high-profile mixed tag team match scheduled for Wrestlepalooza, where he will team with wife AJ Lee against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.

Furthermore, The Second City Saint is one of the central figures of Raw and an injury to him is not something WWE can afford as it heads toward WrestleMania season this fall.

Stephanie Vaquer Confusion

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Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported Stephanie Vaquer is dealing with a minor injury, hence her absence from anything physical on WWE TV of late.

However, La Primera return to the squared circle as part of NXT's Homecoming event next Tuesday night, when she will partner with Rhea Ripley and Tiffany Stratton against Jacy Jayne, Jazmyn Nyx and Fallon Henley of Fatal Influence.

Vaquer will also compete on September 20 against Iyo Sky for the vacant Women's World Championship at Wrestlepalooza.

The Chilean star arrived on the main roster amid much hype and expectation following her momentous run in NXT and, based on her upcoming title opportunity, is still poised for big things.

The question is why WWE officials could not come up with more for her to do on Raw that did not include her getting physical and worsening the reported injury, but still kept her in front of the fans.

It certainly feels like Vaquer has lost momentum. Hopefully, it is easily rebuilt in the go-home episode ahead of her potentially historic week.

Wardlow Injured

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Wardlow fans were happy to see him back in a key role as the enforcer of The Don Callis Family, but they will have to wait to see the big man return to action.

Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that The War Daddy suffered a torn pec and will miss considerable time, with up to eight months being the typical recovery period.

It is an unfortunate development for a performer who does not seem able to catch a break. Injuries, inconsistent booking and an appearance on the upcoming American Gladiators reboot kept him out of action or off TV since his breakout storyline with MJF in 2021-22.

Wardlow once looked like the future of AEW and could bring a larger-than-life element to the top of the card, but he has been mostly a non-factor over the last three years instead.

Hopefully, the 37-year-old is able to recover on schedule and get back to the squared circle, where he can obliterate the opposition with his trademark powerbomb and get back to realizing the potential he showed at the height of his popularity.