WWE: CM Punk on Potential Return at Survivor Series, Nick Aldis on Joining WWE, WWE Received $500k for Royal Rumble 2024

CM Punk Comments on Potential WWE Return at Survivor Series 2024

As noted before, WWE is currently believed to have recently decided against bringing back CM Punk to the company following his firing from AEW this past September.

670 The Score’s Bernstein & Holmes radio show held a recent interview with CM Punk. One of the topics discussed included Punk’s thoughts on if he will be at WWE’s upcoming Survivor Series 2023 event this November in Chicago, Illinois.

“They’re asking if I’m going to be there? I think it’s sold out. I think tickets are hard to get.

I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble. I’m kind of just sitting at home and enjoying this beautiful Chicago weather. I have an injury in the family. My dog [Larry] blew his dog ACL. I’m literally just spending my time with him. I know that sounds crazy, but he is my son, and I take care of him and treat him as such. Everything has kind of stopped. I’m fortunate to take time off from everything. I’ve canceled things I have coming up. Traveling is hard. It’s tough to leave him here with my wife April [AJ Lee]. If there are two of us here taking care of him, it’s easier.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Nick Aldis Comments on His Decision to Join WWE as a Producer

As noted before, Nick Aldis signed an official contract with WWE earlier this month. Prior to his signing, Aldis had been working as a backstage producer on a tryout basis. Aldis most recently was revealed to be the new General Manager for WWE’s SmackDown brand.

A recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast featured Nick Aldis as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Aldis’ thoughts on his decision to join WWE for a backstage producer role.

“I’d already made the decision that whatever opportunity, if any, ever came from the WWE, I would take it. You’ve only got one chance in the game, and that’s to play, no matter how that comes along. I had a brief conversation with Paul Heyman the other night, and I said, ‘Hey, opportunity comes in all shapes and sizes.’ He said, ‘Yes, it does.’ I was excited. I really was. I know that people will hear that and be like, ‘Oh, bullshit.’ But I’ve enjoyed tremendously the other hats that I’ve worn in this business, particularly in the last few years. I don’t think it’s any secret at this point that my fingerprints were all over my previous employer, as far as the product and everything like that, beyond my contributions as a talent. So I do find it very rewarding, and it is something, certain guys are well-suited to it, and certain guys are not.

There’s so many pieces of the WWE machine that I’m still getting familiar with. It’s gonna take me months, if not more, to still really fully understand that beast, and it is a beast. Every day that I go to work, I’m just in awe of the operation. But for me, that’s the most exciting thing. It’s exhilarating for me because I sit there and go, ‘Man, I remember when I had such limited resources.’ Building a brand with one guy and a YouTube show is a hell of a lot different than having an idea and being able to pitch it to the most powerful people in the industry, and then getting to have your input on things in conjunction with the greatest minds currently working in the industry, like Michael Hayes and Hunter and Bruce and Ed Koskey, all the different guys who are involved, and Kevin Dunn. Getting to sit on the headsets with Michael and Kevin, listening to those conversations and watching that whole process, it’s fascinating, it’s terrifying, it’s exhilarating all at the same time. So I am every bit as fulfilled and excited about contributing to WWE. God’s honest truth, my first conversations with Paul, with Triple H and with Bruce, I echoed the same message over and over again. It took a few months before I was given some sort of opportunity, but I just kept echoing the same message, which was I’m ready, willing and able to contribute to WWE in any way I can. I stand by that, and I appreciate everybody who wants to see me in different capacities. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just over the moon to be part of the process in any way. If other stuff comes along, those opportunities, you can bet that I’ll be ready, willing, and able.”

Aldis also gave his thoughts on how he had already made peace with the idea that he would never join WWE prior to WWE contacting him for a job in the company.

“I’d sort of made peace with the idea that it may or may not happen. I sort of made peace with that several years ago and I think that actually was, in many ways, a sort of turning point that helped me embrace the other opportunities that came my way.

I think I might have wasted some time with always having one eye on WWE and eventually I had an epiphany where it was like, ‘Look, they are either going to give you an opportunity or they’re not. All you can do is be the best version of you that you can and show the world your vision of who you want to be.’

You can’t determine what opportunities come your way, you can only determine what you do with those opportunities.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com, F4WOnline.com

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WWE Received $500,000 from St. Petersburg Tourism Board to Host Royal Rumble 2024

As noted before, next year’s Royal Rumble event till be taking place on January 27, 2024 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In a recent interview with The St. Pete Catalyst, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater public relations director Jason Latimer stated that VSPC had spent $500,000 from their tourist development tax funding to secure their bid with WWE for the city to host next year’s Royal Rumble event.

“Jason Latimer, public relations director, told the Catalyst the organization spent $500,000 of its tourist development tax funding – accrued from overnight stays at county hotels – in its successful bid to secure the Royal Rumble.”

In the article, it was stated that The Greater Orlando Sports Commission had allocated $850,000 for their bid to host next year’s event at Camping World Stadium, which WWE eventually turned down.