CM Punk has been absent from AEW since September 2022 and the remarkable events that followed All Out.
In the ring, Punk won the AEW World Championship for a second time with victory over Jon Moxley but suffered a serious triceps injury in the process. However, it would be what unfolded in the hours after the show that seemingly ended his AEW career.
In the post-show media scrum, Punk went on the attack against The Elite, Hangman Adam Page, and Colt Cabana. As Tony Khan sat just feet away the star verbally skewered his targets to the amazement of everyone watching. These comments sparked a brawl backstage which also involved Ace Steel, the Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega. While Steel has since left the company, The Elite returned to television after serving suspensions.
This just left CM Punk seemingly sitting in a strange AEW no man’s land. The star was unable to wrestle due to injury, but he was likely set for a spell on the sidelines regardless. This sparked reports that he was attempting to leave the company, with a remarkable return to WWE not out of the question. However, despite the bad feeling that seemingly exists between Punk, AEW, and some AEW talent, he remains under contract.
Will CM Punk Return To AEW?
Speaking on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer admitted that Punk could return to the company and will be “available” in a couple of months should they decide to use him.
“They are lacking in that babyface position something fierce. They had a shot with MJF, obviously they did the double-cross on that. And MJF was great as a heel tonight, but they don’t have ‘the guy’.
“Punk’s not gonna be the guy either. I know some people might say, ‘Well Punk’s coming back’… Punk may come back. He will be available to come back if they want to use him in a couple of months. It’s not like it’s so far in the future. And of course if they were to bring Punk back, that opens up a lot of other issues that we can talk about another day.”
With regard to CM Punk potentially heading to WWE, Seth Rollins recently described the star as “a cancer” and urged him to stay away. Back in January, CM Punk took aim at AEW and MJF on social media, calling out the company and their World Champion over the current television ratings.
H/t to WrestleTalk