00:00Chris Jericho teases a WWE return, John Cena calls his heel turn a failure, backstage heat
00:07on CM Punk, and more.
00:09I'm Oli Davis, and this is the WrestleTalk News.
00:15In the year of our pool 2025, wrestling has somehow become even more tribal.
00:20To combat AEW's working relationships with New Japan and CMLL, WWE has created its own
00:26faction with TNA and AAA.
00:28Every new AEW pay-per-view date becomes an interpromotional battleground, with WWE running
00:34a major show head-to-head, WWE or AEW trolls constantly drag the opposing companies and
00:41their wrestlers online, but now there might be one piece of news to unite them all.
00:47Chris Jericho may be going back to WWE.
00:50Jericho should be a beloved figure in AEW.
00:53It was his New Japan match with Kenny Omega that first convinced Tony Khan to launch his
00:57own promotion.
00:58He was the promotion's inaugural champion and biggest mainstream star in the first
01:01years.
01:02He had one of the best in-ring runs of his career as Ring of Honor champion in the second
01:06half of 2022.
01:08But then Jericho violated his golden rule.
01:11He didn't make us miss him.
01:12Ever since 2005, Jericho has ensured he only had limited runs.
01:17Having a few feuds over the course of one to three years, then he'd take an extended break
01:21for another project like Dancing with the Stars or his band Fozzy.
01:24But his ROH title run in 2022 marked his fourth consecutive year, and following that, the fans
01:31soured on his Learning Tree and LeSexGods acts.
01:35The Learning Tree even lent in to the fans no longer wanting to see him, with the faction's
01:39ring promo segments being called TV time with Chris Jericho.
01:43As in, Chris Jericho is being given too much TV time.
01:47Maybe sensing this, following his loss to Bandido back at April's Dynasty PPV, Jericho broke
01:52up the Learning Tree and left for a while until Big Bill and Brian Keith made a change.
01:58And what better break to make us all miss him, than go back to WWE.
02:03Jericho's AEW contract expires at the end of this year, and in a previous interview he
02:08said he's open to returning to his former contractor.
02:11Although he did also say he's open to listening to any kind of offer.
02:15But now an Instagram account has re-shared that story with the headline, Chris Jericho's
02:19AEW deal ends December 2025, he's open to a WWE return, depending on the situation.
02:27Jericho's official Instagram account has liked that post.
02:31When Jericho does go back to WWE after he's got his pointing photo with Triple H, he can
02:36then walk down the corridor and remember how much of a bitch CM Punk is.
02:40A couple of months ago, Matt Riddle claimed in an interview with Going Ringside that his
02:44friends in WWE say all CM Punk does is bellyaches and complains and that he's a headache to
02:51work with.
02:52That guy sucks.
02:53He's a bitch to work with in the back.
02:56Riddle has now appeared on a TMZ sports podcast where he claims nothing has changed with Punk
03:00behind the scenes.
03:02I have good friends on the roster that still say that he's a bitch to work with.
03:05If he didn't generate the amount of money and attention that he does, he wouldn't
03:09be there.
03:10I have no ill will towards the man.
03:12I just don't think he's good at fighting.
03:13I think his better days of wrestling are way behind him.
03:17And that's not a knock.
03:18I can tell you I'm not getting that much better or faster or stronger.
03:21I can tell you he's definitely not either, especially with all the botches.
03:25Weirdly, CM Punk was the last John Cena match where Cena was framed as a heel.
03:30The following month, he'd suddenly and very awkwardly turn babyface in a promo segment
03:35just two days before his Cody Rhodes match at SummerSlam, essentially explaining the last
03:39several months have been a bit naff because the storyline has sucked.
03:42Cena was at the Fan Expo Chicago over the weekend, where he was asked if some fans cheering
03:46him on his first appearance following his Elimination Chamber heel turn made him upset.
03:51To which Cena replied, I wasn't upset.
03:54No, I failed.
03:55Ain't nothing wrong with that.
03:57You can learn from failure, right?
03:59And I went up there and bombed.
04:01F*** happens.
04:02The exact segment was Cena's appearance in Belgium, where he revealed he wouldn't
04:05be changing his ring music or attire, declared he was in a toxic relationship with the fans
04:10and absolutely roasted this poor kid in the front row.
04:13I personally think it was a fantastic promo performance.
04:16But Cena obviously saw success as everyone booing him, but he instead received a mixed
04:21response.
04:22Ironically, just like his babyface run.
04:24Does that mean he also bombed for 8 years straight from 2007 to 2015, John?
04:29Does it?
04:30If you didn't live through Cena's reign of terror, the worst example of that is what
04:34he did to the Nexus.
04:36Mine and Luke's 8 episode 40 hour long series on the rise and fall of the Nexus finished over
04:41the weekend.
04:42You can now binge watch the whole thing over at Patreon.com forward slash WrestleTalk.
04:47After we finally get that Logan Paul vs John Cena match we've all been fantasy booking
04:50for Cena's retirement year, John's next opponent will reportedly be Brock Lesnar, which
04:56WWE is apparently planning to put head to head against AEW's All Out PPV.
05:01This will mark the first time a main roster PLE has gone against an AEW PPV, with NXT PLEs
05:07getting scheduled against them up until now.
05:10There was always reportedly a mentality that it didn't actually matter if AEW beat NXT
05:15in viewership, as WWE could always dismiss that defeat as NXT was their developmental
05:20brand.
05:21But if AEW outdrew a main roster PLE, that could be a very embarrassing PR story.
05:26WWE isn't just stacking this first battle with a Cena vs Lesnar main event, but also,
05:32according to PWInsider, making it the first event in their new deal with ESPN.
05:38ESPN announced earlier this month that from next April they would have the rights to all
05:42WWE PLEs in the United States, as internationally they're streamed on Netflix, in a huge $325 million
05:49per year deal.
05:51But now, PWInsider is reporting that discussion in the broadcast industry says the September
05:5620 event could end up being an extra, unique event that would air on ESPN as a preview of
06:03the type of programming WWE will bring to that new partnership when it officially kicks off
06:07in April 2026.
06:10And WrestleVotes are reporting the show could be called WrestlePalooza.
06:16Which is an old ECW PPV name.
06:18Now don't be confused, I'm just going to run off and change my shirt really quickly.
06:22Before I get on with the wrestling news, as you're well aware YouTube revenue isn't
06:25what it used to be, and we're having to find new ways to help support WrestleTalk.
06:29And Luke and I have decided to do that by starting our own beer!
06:34It can't go wrong.
06:36And it's a crowded market, so we're really taking this unique approach because the worst
06:40things about beer are the taste and the alcohol.
06:43So we remove those things, put our own things in, it's WrestleBeer and to help us test them,
06:50we have famed beer drinker!
06:54It's the Cowboy James Storm!
06:55What's up guys?
06:56Yeah!
06:57Thanks so much!
06:58When I was coming in, someone gave me a really good beer that I was drinking.
07:02Oh!
07:03Oh!
07:04Was that one of ours?
07:05No, it wasn't.
07:06Yeah, sorry.
07:07Well, you can test and compare the notes of that real beer with our own 0% Milk Stout.
07:14It's Beer Mammy!
07:17Beer Mammy!
07:18What?
07:19Beer Mammy!
07:20Beer Mammy!
07:21Beer Mammy!
07:22Yeah!
07:23Yeah!
07:24Why do you say it like there's something Beer Mammy!
07:26Beer Mammy!
07:27Beer Mammy!
07:28Is that not what you say to your mum?
07:29No!
07:30Hey Mammy!
07:31I don't say Hey Mammy!
07:33No?
07:34No!
07:35You say that to your mum?
07:36To my mum!
07:39Alright!
07:40We'll give this a...
07:41The mouth feels superb!
07:43I think you guys are not owned to something.
07:55Oh!
07:56Yeah, this is a...
07:58Is this a rib?
08:00No, it's a gloss.
08:01It's a bad money.
08:03Guys, this is not good.
08:05You cannot...
08:06Look, I'm tearing up.
08:07My mouth is kicking the crap out of me right now saying,
08:11Why did you let me drink this?
08:14Oh, you're actually crying.
08:15Is it tears of joy?
08:16Yeah.
08:17No, it's tears of sadness.
08:18Like, my mouth is sad right now.
08:20Oh, no.
08:21Like, you know, like when people get drunk and then they just get sad.
08:24I'm not even drunk and I'm sad right now.
08:26You upset James Storm now.
08:28Oh, this is the last thing I wanted to happen.
08:30Okay.
08:31Well, okay.
08:32The Beer Mammy didn't work, Willa.
08:34Well, we've got one last one.
08:36We'll do it in Wednesday's news.
08:37Wednesday's news.
08:38Okay, yeah, yeah.
08:39We're saving the best for last.
08:41Yes.
08:42Oh, yeah.
08:43100%, yeah.
08:44This next one is pretty good.
08:45Can I give this to the homeless guy out there?
08:47You know what?
08:48Give it to a homeless person.
08:49Okay.
08:50Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine.
08:51You can catch our shoot interview with James Storm over at Patreon.com forward slash WrestleTalk,
08:57where we actually talk about loads of drinking stories.
09:00Oh yes, this shirt again.
09:02While the next two weeks are big for AEW and WWE, with Forbidden Door this Sunday and Clash
09:07in Paris the following Sunday, this past weekend had two huge international shows, with New
09:13Japan's G1 Final and AAA's TripleMania event.
09:16As WWE are in the process of acquiring AAA, there was a sizable WWE presence on the TripleMania
09:22card.
09:23And few things are more sizable than Amos, who made his surprise debut in the promotion
09:29to win the Royal Rumble style Copa Bardell match, which might have led to the biggest
09:33size difference in professional wrestling history.
09:36As the 7'3 Amos went face to face, or rather face to knee, against the 3'3 Microman.
09:43They ended up weirdly working together where Microman eliminated Otis after an Amos big boot.
09:48It's speculated that Amos will be in AAA full time now, as his new t-shirt has both
09:53the WWE and AAA logos on.
09:55There was even more campy fun in the mixed trios match, as The Judgement Day beat Nino
09:59Hamagesa, Lola Vice and Mr Iguana.
10:02It's Mr Iguana, he's got an Iguana, which saw an absolutely devastating spot sequence.
10:08When Mr Iguana, he's got an Iguana, went against Finn Balor.
10:13It's Finn Balor, he's got a puppet Demon Balor!
10:17The puppet is called Demonito, was made by Jason Baker's studio, the same guy who made
10:21Bray Wyatt masks and puppets, and is already available to buy on WWE Shop.
10:26Yet, there is still no Mr Iguana puppet for sale.
10:29The Ghana and Psycho Clown beat Los Garza to win the World Tag Team titles, Flamere retained
10:33her Reina Duranas championship against Fabi Apache and Natalya, and Vakingo retained his
10:38mega title against Dominic Mysterio, Dragon Lee and El Grande Americano Ludwig Kaiser variant.
10:44Also as part of the show, Rey Mysterio inducted Conan into the AAA Hall of Fame.
10:48But while WWE is out here trying to make everyone chant, we want Kross, allegedly, the Mexican
10:54fans opted to chant, we want the super problematic Alberto Del Rio.
10:58It's like a Max Caster cadence chant for the best wrestler in the world.
11:02Del Rio, who wrestles as Alberto El Patron in AAA, has been the promotion's top star for
11:07the last several years, but he appears to have been phased out with WWE's takeover of the
11:12company.
11:13This is likely because of Del Rio's previous issues while working with WWE, his arrest in
11:172020 and the social media backlash against him.
11:20He was booked and a loser leaves the company match back in July, which he lost.
11:25Which might have only bolstered his fans' support.
11:28And Rey acknowledged the crowd's chants by pretty much saying, I'll bring him.
11:33Wait on me.
11:34This is likely Rey just trying to defuse the crowd in the moment, as he doesn't have
11:37that kind of power behind the scenes.
11:39The Wrestling Observer has previously reported that there are no plans to bring Del Rio into
11:44the US market.
11:45But some backstage do want him back in WWE because he has proven himself as such a draw
11:50in Mexico.
11:51Far less problematic is AEW star Konosuke Takeshita, who beat Evil to win New Japan's
11:56G1 tournament.
11:57This is the first time ever an AEW contracted talent has won the G1 and it grants him an IW
12:03title shot, which should happen at Wrestle Kingdom in January.
12:07Who, by that time, might be AEW commentator Nigel McGuinness.
12:13As McGuinness or Desmond Wolf to his true fans won on Saturday's collision to get a
12:17dream match against the current IWGP heavyweight champion Zack Sabre Jr at AEW's Forbidden
12:24Door this Sunday.
12:26Which Luke and I will be at, trying to get Desmond Wolf chants going in every single match
12:30on the card.
12:31So come say hi.
12:32Click the video on screen now to watch me, Luke and former TNA World Champion James Storm
12:37on the WrestleTalk Podcast, where we dive into all the work-shoot-much-love-brother-HH-kiss
12:42nonsense of Karrion Kross leaving WWE.
12:46Or has he?
12:47.
12:48.
12:49.
12:50.
12:51.
12:52.
12:53.
12:54.
12:55.
12:56.
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