Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

Copeland Reportedly Cleared to Return from Leg Injury

After fracturing his tibia and undergoing surgery in May, Adam Copeland has reportedly been cleared for in-ring physicality.

According to PWInsider Elite (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), although Copeland has been cleared to return to in-ring action in AEW, he is not expected to do so yet because of outside projects.

Copeland is currently taking part in filming for Season 2 of the Disney+ series Percy Jackson the The Olympians, which is scheduled to wrap in January, per PWInsider.

Formerly known as Edge in WWE, Copeland made his surprise debut for AEW in October 2023 at WrestleDream and quickly established himself as one of the top stars in the company.

After beating longtime friend turned rival Christian Cage for the TNT Championship in March 2024, Copeland began defending the title in a series of open challenges.

He eventually entered into a feud with the House of Black and put the TNT title on the line in a barbed wire steel cage match against Malakai Black at Double or Nothing in May.

At one point, Copeland jumped off the top of the cage and attempted to elbow drop Black through a table, but he landed awkwardly, which is how the leg injury occurred.

The 51-year-old veteran has been out of commission ever since, but all signs point toward his return being on the horizon.

If Copeland isn't back by Wrestle Dynasty in January, the Grand Slam Australia pay-per-view in Brisbane in February could be a target for The Rated-R Superstar to make his in-ring return.

Cargill Reportedly Expected to Miss at Least 3 Months

In the wake of the injury angle that played out last week on SmackDown, Jade Cargill is reportedly expected to miss an extended period of time.

According to F4WOnline.com's Dave Meltzer, Cargill is legitimately injured and will miss a minimum of three months, but she could be out for longer.

In order to explain her absence, Cargill was attacked during a Women's United States Championship tournament match that involved Bianca Belair, Chelsea Green and Blair Davenport.

Belair, who is Cargill's tag team partner, ran to the backstage area to check on Jade, causing her to lose the match.

Cargill was unconscious on the hood of a car and had to be taken from the arena in an ambulance, meaning she is out of the Women's United States Championship tournament and Saturday's WarGames match at Survivor Series as well.

When WWE provided an update on Cargill's status, it was noted that she suffered several injuries as part of the storyline attack, including deep lumbar paraspinal muscle contusions, a bruised kidney, a sprained MCL in her right knee, a tibial plateau bone bruise on her right knee and facial lacerations.

The identity of Cargill's attacker was not revealed, meaning it is a storyline that could play out for months, leading up to Jade's return.

Cargill made her WWE in-ring debut at Royal Rumble earlier this year, but if she does indeed miss at least three months, it means she will miss the 2025 Royal Rumble in February. She could also be in danger of missing out on WrestleMania 41 in April.

Since Cargill is one half of the WWE women's tag team champions with Belair, the creative team will have to figure out something on that front as well, whether it's making Bianca vacate the titles or having her find a new partner temporarily.

Penta's AEW Contract Reportedly Expiring Next Week

Penta El Zero Miedo is reportedly on the verge of becoming one of pro wrestling's hottest free agents.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Carrier), Penta's AEW contract is set to expire next week, and he will be free to sign elsewhere at that point.

Back in August, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported that Penta and his brother, Rey Fenix, turned down offers to re-sign with AEW, and there had been internal discussions at WWE about signing them.

While it initially seemed as though The Lucha Bros. were going to be a package deal, Meltzer (h/t WrestlePurists) reported that AEW made a move to disrupt the possibility of Penta and Fenix leaving the company at the same time.

AEW reportedly added "nearly" one year of injury time to Fenix's contract, meaning he will be contractually tied to AEW for months beyond Penta's contract expiration.

The proverbial writing has reportedly been on the wall for quite some time regarding the status of The Lucha Bros. with AEW, as neither of them have wrestled for the promotion since July.

While AEW cannot contractually hold Penta beyond next week, it is unclear if the company has any plans to use Fenix while he is still under contract, or whether it will opt to sideline him the rest of the way.

As for Penta, he could have the option to sign with WWE while Fenix waits out his AEW contract, and perhaps get acclimated to the WWE fanbase ahead of Fenix's eventual arrival and debut.

Penta has proved himself to be a capable and popular singles star, holding world titles in both Lucha Underground and TNA, so the potential is there for him to have another strong singles run in WWE or elsewhere until Fenix is able to join him.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below.