BS Meter on CM Punk's WWE Future, MJF's AEW Return, John Cena Classic Rumors and More

Exiting another eventful trip to Saudi Arabia for Crown Jewel, WWE once again has the pro wrestling rumor mill buzzing in a big way despite the dropping temperatures back home. 

And why not? There was a Money in the Bank cash-in on the show, another title change and the major champion vs. champion showdown with Roman Reigns against Sami Zayn. 

Tack on the usual rumor mill stuff, too. There is some major buzz making the rounds about big-name returns, explanations for heel turns and that pesky John Cena classic thing. 

To help fans keep up with the fast-paced rumor mill, let's throw the must-know rumors on the BS Meter, with 10 being the highest form of unbelievable buzz fans can safely dismiss.

WWE's latest tag team attempt

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The Rumor

WWE wants to boost the tag team division again. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Cain A. Knight of Cageside Seats), the company asked staffers to create new ideas for pairings, even ignoring the brand split. Joe Hendry apparently came up often. 

Reaction

Not this again, right? WWE is extremely on and off with whether it wants to seriously invest in its tag-team division. Often, the result is pairings that don't make sense. That could apply to any of the possible ideas for Hendry, who was a hot name at the time. 

BS Meter: 1

Totally believable. Also totally believable? That WWE won't scrabble together a tag-team division for the men and women's side that carries any long-term weight. Unfortunate, but the history backing that idea is incredibly strong at this point. 

MJF return buzz

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The Rumor

Is MJF inbound for AEW? According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp (h/t Knight), not only is MJF likely returning soon, he'll go right into a "top program" upon arrival. 

Reaction

Conventional wisdom would suggest that means the Full Gear pay-per-view on Saturday, which features notables like Will Ospreay against Kyle Fletcher for a top title. Fans last saw him at All In at the end of August in the Casino Gauntlet match. 

BS Meter: 1

Now feels like a good time. MJF's been a workhorse this year, feuding with everyone from Adam Page to Brody King and beyond, while also working fun NJPW stuff. AEW is better when he's in a prominent story, too, so expect nothing less, and soon. 

Tiffany Stratton change explained

The Rumor

Tiffany Stratton was the mentioned cash-in attempt. According to WrestleVotes (h/t Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats), WWE had her go heel in the process because the company simply couldn't get her over as a babyface. 

Reaction

Things felt headed in this direction since Money in the Bank in October when Stratton triumphed over some major deserving stars like Roxanne Perez. Most fans would agree that even WWE wouldn't be foolish enough to have her win her second briefcase in a short time period and still force her as a babyface. 

BS Meter: 1

Seems fairly obvious, to the point a report wasn't needed, right? It just wasn't working. And kudos to WWE regardless. Some wrestlers are just better in specific roles. If Stratton excels in this spot and it amplifies the talents and over-ness of her opponents, everyone wins. 

Randy Orton return timeline

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The Rumor

Not that this will shock anyone, but according to WrestleVotes (h/t Mrosko), Randy Orton won't be back until 2027, since he's not scheduled for appearances at Survivor Series or Wrestlepalooza. 

Reaction

Orton just had a ho-hum sendoff via loss to Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel in a Last Man Standing match that went nearly 30 minutes. Considering it feels like he averages maybe one match per month, if that, him skipping out on the holiday stretch sounds about right, not that anyone would blame him. 

BS Meter: 4

We'll see if Orton doesn't outright appear in any capacity for the remainder of the year. Plans change, cards aren't final, that sort of thing. Maybe he doesn't get a feud, but there could always be a televised backstage segment or something. If not, Orton's veteran status makes this otherwise really obvious. 

The John Cena Classic mess

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The Rumor

Fair to call the John Cena Classic a mess so far? Maybe. According to Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Mrosko), the winner of the whole thing might not even get a "push" from WWE. And  WrestleVotes (h/t Knight) followed up by reporting that Cena has big "direct input" on which wrestlers will actually participate. 

Reaction

So, for those keeping track, there are an unknown amount of stars about to participate in an event that takes place, apparently, on an episode of Raw and it might not even result in a push for the eventual winner. Keep in mind previous speculation about fans voting on the "winners," even crowning the loser a winner. Who knows if that's still on the table, too?

BS Meter: 5

WWE isn't doing itself any favors if it wants this to be a successful event. It got announced randomly without any plans a long time ago now and it shows. If it's just a showcase for NXT talent…what's the point? One would think that a good showing for someone would result in a push, especially at the inaugural "classic," but rather than the epic event this could've been, it feels like it's destined to be an afterthought that was worthy of a Crown Jewel with a weird start time or something similar. 

CM Punk's next big move?

The Rumor

The internet might've been right on this one. According to PW Insider's Mike Johnson, CM Punk is the "person the company is currently looking towards" to head up NXT when Shawn Michaels shifts out of that role. 

Reaction

Not shocking in the least. Johnson went on to note that there's no timeline on this move or what it means for Punk's schedule as an actual wrestler. But fans had speculated, based on Punk's past comments and otherwise, that he would be a candidate for this. Michaels is shifting to executive director of creative writing and talent in place of Bruce Prichard, who is retiring. 

BS Meter: 1

More interesting than this actually coming to fruition, given its predictability, is how this might impact Punk's career. He doesn't seem like a guy headed for an in-ring retirement anytime soon. But stepping into a role that even partially oversees NXT and the overall developmental track of WWE would be a time-consuming thing, to say the least.