CM Punk hasn’t been seen in AEW since taking part in the now-infamous brawl following AEW All Out.
Minutes after winning the AEW World Championship in the main event of All Out, Punk took part in a media scrum where he launched into a verbal tirade against former friend Colt Cabana, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and though he didn’t call them out by name, the AEW EVP’s, who he said “couldn’t manage a Target.”
Enraged, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega confronted Punk in his dressing room, and the brawl that ensued has now become the stuff of legend. Not only were punches thrown, Punk’s trainer and friend Ace Steel threw a chair at Nick Jackson as well as biting Omega. Everyone involved in the melee was suspended, and Punk and The Elite were stripped of the title’s they’d won just hours before.
While The Elite made their return to the company at AEW Full Gear in November, CM Punk‘s return has remained in doubt. While the two sides were reportedly in talks to reconcile and have Punk come back, a now-deleted Instagram tirade blasting Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho furthered tensions.
However, according to Punk’s close friend Dax Harwood, the Second City Savior is keen to return to wrestling, and an update from Fightful Select sheds more light on the conditions necessary for that return to happen.
Could CM Punk And The Elite Work Together In AEW?
According to the Fightful Select report, Punk has communicated with All Elite Wrestling about wanting to return, and he’s presented numerous scenarios to make that happen. One of those scenarios would see him willing to work with The Elite despite their public falling out, but Omega and the Bucks are reportedly not as keen on that idea. Fightful is unsure if their willingness has changed in recent months as they negotiate new contracts.
Another scenario would see Punk return and keep separate from The Elite. Some talent reported to Fightful that they believed the rumored Saturday AEW programming could help keep the two sides separate, but that has not been confirmed as a plan by AEW higher-ups and is speculation for now.
The report also notes that Punk would be willing to return to wrestling outside All Elite Wrestling, though Fightful is unable to confirm whether this means working in Ring of Honor under the AEW banner or if it means looking to other promotions such as NJPW or WWE.