WWE Rumors on CM Punk at Money in the Bank, Dragon Lee's Contract, TNA Partnership

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

Punk's Reported Status for Money in the Bank

Fresh off dropping the WWE Championship to Sami Zayn, CM Punk is reportedly expected to have a presence on one of WWE's most-popular premium live events.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), it is believed Punk will work the Money in the Bank card on Oct. 10 in New Orleans.

Punk's exact role at Money in the Bank isn't yet known, but he is scheduled to face Gunther and Finn Balor in a Triple Threat qualifying match for the men's Money in the Bank ladder match this week on SmackDown.

Should Punk win that bout, he will be part of the Money in the Bank ladder match, which will see a contract for a guaranteed world title shot hanging in the balance.

However, Punk winning the qualifier is far from guaranteed since both Gunther and Balor are sensible options for the ladder match as well.

Also, given that Punk cost Kevin Owens in his WWE Championship match against Zayn last week on SmackDown, it is easy to envision KO possibly screwing over Punk in the qualifier.

Should that happen, it would open the door for something like Punk vs. Owens, or even a WWE Championship Triple Threat between Punk, Owens and Zayn at Money in the Bank.

WWE's Reported Interest Level in Re-Signing Dragon Lee

WWE is reportedly hoping to keep Dragon Lee in the fold amid rumors that his contract is set to expire soon.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Jenkins), WWE is "in the business of keeping" Lee, although it will ultimately come down to whether Lee likes WWE's offer.

WrestleVotes noted that WWE sees value in Lee for numerous reasons, including his in-ring ability, gimmick and ability to be utilized across different brands, including AAA.

It was previously reported by Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), that Lee's contract is expiring "soon," along with that of his brother Dralistico, who is with AEW.

Alvarez added that Lee and Dralistico filed a trademark for the name Hermanos Lee, which could suggest that they plan to team up once their contracts expire.

Joining Dralistico in AEW is likely an option for Lee, but Dralistico could just as easily join Lee in WWE since WWE seems eager to continue adding talent to AAA.

Lee is a former world tag team champion in WWE and he has been utilized heavily in recent months, competing in major matches such as bouts with Chad Gable and Penta for the Intercontinental Championship.

While it is unclear where Lee stands in terms of plans for his own future, all signs point toward WWE making a major effort to retain him.

WWE's Rumored Stance on Partnership with TNA

A new report has emerged amid speculation about whether the working relationship between WWE and TNA is on the back burner.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats), the WWE-TNA partnership remains intact, but it isn't as strong as it once was primarily due to WWE choosing to instead focus on AAA.

WWE and TNA entered into an official, multi-year partnership starting in January 2025, and for several months that followed, there was a significant talent exchange.

It was a regular occurrence for TNA stars to appear on NXT and vice versa, and multiple NXT Superstars even held TNA championships, including Trick Williams and Kelani Jordan.

The crossover hasn't been as prevalent in recent months, though, and it has been far more commonplace to see AAA stars competing in NXT.

From WWE's perspective, such a pivot makes sense, as TNA is a partner, while AAA is a brand that WWE actually owns.

WWE was also building up to events such as Triplemanía and last week's episode of Raw in Mexico City, so there was plenty of incentive to get as many eyes as possible on AAA talent.

That isn't to say that TNA can't go back to being a bigger part of WWE programming at some point in the near future, but for now, it likely benefits WWE more to showcase wrestlers who it has under contract.