Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Styles Addresses CM Punk's WWE Comeback
AJ Styles acknowledged he wasn't overly enthused when he first discovered CM Punk was returning to WWE. The Phenomenal One conceded, however, he's encouraged by what he has seen from Punk so far.
The Ringer Wrestling Show @ringerwrestlingAJ Styles tells us how he really feels about CM Punk's comeback to WWE! <a href="">@DavidShoemaker</a> <a href="">@Kazeem</a> <a href="">@StatGuyGreg</a> <a href="">
"I mean, if you know anything about AJ Styles and CM Punk, you would know that we really don't care for each other," he said on The Ringer Wrestling Show (via Joseph Currier of F4WOnline.com). "But if you want me to ruin everything that you think you know, I can.
"Past performance predicts future behavior, right? Some over at AEW are my best friends — love 'em, trust 'em, know 'em. And I was expecting a problem when [Punk] came here — and I was wrong. The guy looks like he's happy to be here. He looks like a guy that I'd want to step in the ring with and tear the house down with."
Punk's triceps injury put a lot of plans on hold. Before the injury, he appeared to be on a collision course with Drew McIntyre, and a title match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania XL was the logical next step.
It will be interesting to see how WWE eases The Straight-Edge Superstar back into the fold. Pitting him against Styles would be one way to give him a major storyline that builds him back up to a world title shot.
Rollins Heaps Praise on Ospreay
Years ago, Rollins and Will Ospreay engaged in a brief Twitter feud that originated from the former arguing WWE offered the "best pro wrestling on the planet." For the most part, things cooled relatively quickly.
In October, Ospreay told Metro's Alistair McGeorge he envisioned possibly signing with WWE one day and that a match with Rollins "does intrigue me quite a lot."
The admiration appears to be mutual. In an interview with Cameron Hawkins of The Ringer published Thursday, Rollins said Ospreay "is absolutely one of the best performers in the world, and I'm happy that he is finally, you know, getting to the very top level in our industry."
Considering Ospreay is signed full-time to AEW, a dream match against Rollins is just that for now. But wrestling fans are all too aware of how quickly circumstances can change.
Kross Takes Exception to Lashley Comments
Appearing on WWE's The Bump (via Cain A. Knight of Cageside Seats), Bobby Lashley spoke of being "handcuffed lately" and expressed a belief that beating Karrion Kross and The Final Testament at WrestleMania XL could propel him forward.
Not surprisingly, Kross didn't like to be talked about as if he were a stepping stone:
Karrion Kross ⏳ @realKILLERkrossHandcuffed.<br><br>How tight are the cuffs?<br><br>I'm just curious.<br><br>Because some of us are so tightly handcuffed that if we even mention handcuffs; we're gone.<br><br>You know what WE do instead of crying about it publicly???<br><br>We do our best to outperform the position delegated & BREAK THEM.…
Lashley deftly toed the line between reality and kayfabe during his interview. He could've been speaking in character and making the boilerplate comments you'd hear from any former world champion who hasn't tasted the gold for a while. Or maybe the 47-year-old was genuinely reflecting on how he's kind of treading water and could have one more main-event run left in the tank.
While the six-man tag match isn't the most highly anticipated from the second night of WrestleMania, Lashley and Kross' exchange at least points to what could be some tangible stakes on the line.
