There are people at FOX who were not happy about the fact that WWE did not make a big offer to CM Punk.
Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Punk had a positive relationship with FOX that dates back to when he was on WWE Backstage on FS1 and it was FOX who were among the first to congratulate Punk on the big ratings he helped to draw for Rampage last Friday.
Meltzer said that FOX was said to be “very upset” that a big offer was not made to keep him from going to AEW and there was a feeling within WWE that they needed to get Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch back right away. Lynch was always scheduled to return but with Sasha Banks not cleared, they inserted Lynch into the SmackDown Women’s Title picture.
It was also noted that Lesnar’s timing got him an even better deal. It was reported several weeks ago that Lesnar and WWE had not signed a deal before because they had not agreed on things from a creative standpoint. Lesnar made his return last Saturday at SummerSlam.
Lesnar vs. Reigns was always in the plans but it was supposed to happen in 2022 if The Rock was not able to come back for WrestleMania or in 2023. It’s unclear when Reigns vs. Lesnar will happen but it’s possible that the new plan is for them to wrestle next month in Saudi Arabia.
