WWE Rumors on CM Punk and AJ Lee's Absences, Future of Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes Rivalry

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

Punk Reportedly Planned for Major Push Amid Speculation

CM Punk has not been seen on WWE programming since the Raw after WrestleMania 42, leading to online speculation and rumors about his status with the company.

However, WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Cultaholic Wrestling) reported this week that there is nothing going on with Punk that is out of the ordinary.

WrestleVotes noted that Punk is merely taking time off after appearing and wrestling regularly for the past few years, adding, "He'll be back in no time, right back on top of the card. It is not true that they have no plans for CM Punk."

PWInsider.com (h/t Wrestle Ops) essentially echoed that report by reporting that Punk is expected back on WWE TV "in the coming months," and new merchandise is being prepared for his eventual return.

Punk headlined WrestleMania 42, putting the World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Roman Reigns in the main event of Night 2.

Reigns beat Punk for the title in what was arguably the best WWE match of 2026 thus far.

Punk showed up the following night on Raw and had a promo segment with WWE champion Cody Rhodes, which seemingly set the stage for a potential future match between them.

However, Punk has not appeared since then, and there hasn't been any type of on-screen explanation for his absence.

Punk is featured prominently on the poster for SummerSlam, though, which is scheduled for Aug. 1 and 2 in Minneapolis.

Also, the July 6 episode of Raw is set to take place in Punk's hometown of Chicago, and since he is currently advertised to appear on the show, it would make a ton of sense for him to return at that event.

AJ Lee Reportedly Not Expected Back on WWE TV Soon

After dropping the Women's Intercontinental Championship to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 42, AJ Lee disappeared from WWE programming.

There is no immediate end in sight to her absence, as WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t WrestlePurists) reported that AJ is not expected to make her WWE TV return imminently.

After her WrestleMania loss, AJ made a heartfelt Instagram post (h/t SI.com's Rick Ucchino) in which she thanked the fans and some of the performers she worked with since returning to WWE in September 2025.

Lee seemed to indicate that she was set to take a hiatus, writing, "Thank you for supporting me for two decades, selling out my merchandise, giving me record-setting views, and making Converse a small fortune with your AJ cosplay. Your passion kept me coming back. Stay weird, see you soon."

Prior to making her WWE return in December, AJ had been out of WWE and hadn't wrestled in more than a decade.

She immediately joined forces with her husband, CM Punk, and teamed with him to beat Lynch and Seth Rollins in her first match back.

AJ was very much a part time competitor from that point forward, wrestling a total of five matches, with most of them involving Lynch.

Because of the nature of her schedule, it didn't come as a surprise to most when AJ stepped away from WWE programming following WrestleMania.

There is no indication yet regarding when or where she could return, but based on her popularity, WWE will undoubtedly welcome her back into the fold whenever she is ready.

Reigns vs. Rhodes Match Reportedly Not on the Horizon

Although tension has been teased recently between world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns and WWE champion Cody Rhodes, it reportedly isn't leading to a match in the near future.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Gene Mrosko of Cageside Seats), there are no plans for a Reigns vs. Rhodes match anytime soon.

After both Reigns and Rhodes had successful title defenses at Clash in Italy on May 31, Reigns took a shot at Rhodes by poking fun at his "QB1" moniker.

Roman and Cody were also shown crossing paths and staring each other down backstage.

Reigns and Rhodes have been two of the biggest rivals in wrestling over the past several years, as they faced each other in the main event of WrestleMania 39 and 40.

While Reigns won the first encounter, Rhodes got revenge at WrestleMania 40, ending Roman's 1,316-day reign as world champion.

More recently, Reigns and Rhodes were on the same WarGames team at Survivor Series last year. After losing, Reigns berated Rhodes, which led many to believe that they would face off again at WrestleMania 42.

However, after Reigns won the 2026 men's Royal Rumble match, he instead chose to challenge CM Punk.

WWE can always go back to Reigns vs. Rhodes since their history and tension will ensure that anything they do together is a huge deal, but there are reportedly no plans to do so in the immediate future.