Posted in: Preview, Sports, Starz, TV | Tagged: Alexander Ludwig, cm punk, DWL, heels, preview, starz, stephen amell

CM Punk Wrestling Return Confirmed: New Name, Look & Manager (Image)

If you're a wrestling fan like we are then you know that any talk of a favorite of yours returning to the ring always brings out that "little kid" excitement no matter how old you are. So you can imagine how excited we were to see social media buzzing about CM Punk potentially making a return to the squared circle. Well, leave it to Bleeding Cool to go above and beyond to get the story- and yes, we can confirm that Punk will be making his return o the ring in August- and we have details. Apparently, CM Punk will be wrestling for Jack Spade & Ace Spade's Duffy Wrestling League (DWL) beginning around August 15. But because of legal issues, Punk will have to wrestle under the name "Ricky Rabies", who apparently will be a "Heel" and be accompanied to the ring by his manager/valet Vicky Rabies (real name, Bonnie Somerville). No further details were available, but we were able to grab this exclusive image from Punk's dark match where he tested out the new persona.

Oh, and Heels premieres on STARZ beginning August 15…

Now here's your look at the official trailer for STARZ's Heels, set to hit the ring on Sunday, August 15:

In Heels, the focus is on the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals — Jack Spade (Stephen Amell) and Ace Spade (Alexander Ludwig) — war over their late father's legacy. In the ring, somebody must play the good guy and somebody must play their nemesis, the heel. But in the real world, those characters can be hard to live up to — or hard to leave behind.

In the ring, Amell's Jack Spade is the charismatic villain, or heel, of the Duffy Wrestling League (DWL). In the real world, he's its hard-working owner, a husband, and father trying to make ends meet while fighting to realize his impossible dreams. He has the mind of an artist in the body of a warrior, and a Steve Jobs-ian need for perfection — and for control. He says he'll do whatever it takes to build the DWL into an empire. Will he go so far as to risk his marriage – or his relationship with his brother, Ace?

Ludwig's Ace Spade is the beloved hero and star of the DWL. Things are more difficult in the real world, where he struggles to reconcile his town idol status with his insecurities and demons. He's brash, cocky, and self-destructive — yet so damn charming and good-looking that you can almost forgive him. If he can keep it together, he'll have a ticket out of Duffy and to the big time. But that's a big if…

Written by Michael Waldron (Loki), directed by Peter Segal (Shameless), and with Mike O'Malley serving as showrunner, Heels stars Stephen Amell as Jack Spade, Alexander Ludwig as Ace Spade, Mary McCormack (The Kids Are Alright) as Willie, Chris Bauer (For All Mankind) as Wild Bill Hancock, Kelli Berglund (Animal Kingdom) as Crystal Tyler, Alison Luff (New Amsterdam) as Staci Spade, Allen Maldonado (The Last O.G.) as Rooster Robbins, James Harrison (NFL star) as Apocalypse, Trey Tucker (What Lies Below) as Bobby Pin, Robby Ramos (Snowfall) as Diego, Alice Barrett as Carol Spade, series showrunner Mike O'Malley as Charlie Gully, Duke Davis Roberts as Big Jim Kitchen, CM Punk as Ricky Rabies, and Bonnie Somerville (Blue Bloods) as Vicky Rabies. Waldron and O'Malley are also set to executive produce, alongside LBI Entertainment's Julie Yorn, Chris Donnelly, and Patrick Walmsley. STARZ and Lionsgate TV produce.

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