WWE Rumors on CM Punk; Mandy Rose Talks WWE; Jake Paul vs. Matt Riddle MMA Fight Buzz

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

Punk Reportedly Not Expected to Frequent WWE PC

Despite his recent appearances at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, CM Punk reportedly is not expected to be a regular presence there.

According to Nick Hausman of the Rumor & Innuendo podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Punk was at the PC to work out and possibly have some medical testing done, but people at the Performance Center said they don’t expect Punk showing up to be a “regular thing.”

It was also reported by Fightful Select (h/t Upton) that rumors and speculation regarding Punk eventually wanting to succeed Shawn Michaels as the head of NXT are “a long way off” from what Punk truly wants in the future.

Since returning to WWE last month at Survivor Series, Punk has mingled with NXT Superstars on at least a couple of occasions.

The first time occurred last weekend when Punk made a surprise appearance at the NXT Deadline premium live event in Connecticut and cut an in-ring promo with Michaels.

Then, photos were posted this week on X, formerly known as Twitter, of Punk working out at the Performance Center with Cora Jade, Roxanne Perez and Nikkita Lyons:

While Punk has seemed more than willing to impart his wisdom on WWE’s up-and-coming stars, it seems his primary focus moving forward will be on his work on the main roster.

Earlier this week on Raw, Punk announced that he is entering the 2024 men’s Royal Rumble match, and he indicated that he could challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 if he wins it.

During his unexpected return to WWE, Punk has made a sizable impact in a short amount of time, and all signs point toward him being one of the company’s top stars in the months and years to come.

Mandy Rose Unsure If She Will Ever Return to WWE

One year after her controversial release from WWE, Mandy Rose remains undecided about a return to WWE or pro wrestling as a whole.

Speaking about her future in wrestling on X, Rose was noncommittal about potentially stepping back inside the ring one day:

“I know the big question is, you know, will I make a return,” Rose said. “I don’t know. Can’t say I will, can’t say I won’t. I know that’s a terrible answer.”

Mandy posted the video Thursday, which marked the one-year anniversary of her shocking WWE release.

In addition to giving some insight on her pro wrestling future, Rose thanked her fans for supporting her over the past year.

At the time of Rose’s release, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that WWE was “put in a tough position” regarding some of the explicit sexual content she posted on her FanTime page.

Sapp added that WWE felt the content was “outside of the parameters” of Rose’s contract with the company.

After a lengthy stint on the main roster, Rose was sent back down to NXT in 2021, and it turned out to be great for her career, as she won the NXT Women’s Championship and had one of the longest reigns of all time at 413 days.

Mandy dropped the title to Perez on the Dec. 13, 2022, episode of NXT, and she was released from the company the next day.

Rose has enjoyed enormous success with her FanTime page since her release, but she has remained outside the world of pro wrestling thus far.

Jake Paul Reportedly Turned Down MMA Fight vs. Riddle

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is reportedly not interested in having an MMA fight against former UFC and WWE star Matt Riddle.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Riddle recently challenged Paul to an MMA fight, but Paul had no interest since Riddle would be a huge favorite given his MMA experience.

Riddle is reportedly willing to fight Paul in a boxing match instead, but it isn’t known if Paul is interested in the bout.

The 37-year-old Riddle fought under the UFC umbrella from 2008 to 2013 and posted a career MMA record of 8-3 with two no contests before breaking into the world of pro wrestling.

WWE signed Riddle in 2018, and during his five-year run with the company, he enjoyed a great deal of success, including being a one-time United States champion, two-time Raw tag team champion and one-time NXT tag team champion.

Riddle was released from his contract in September along with several others, and if he had a 90-day noncompete clause for pro wrestling, it should be set to expire soon.

Paul, who is the brother of current WWE United States champion Logan Paul, had his first pro boxing match in 2020, and he has since gone 7-1, beating several former UFC stars, such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz.

Riddle would seemingly fit the bill for Paul’s usual opponents, and he would bring some added recognition due to his stint in WWE.

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