With CM Punk back in AEW, attention has now turned to what comes next.
In the eyes of many, Punk returned to action at the perfect moment with AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door just around the corner, with All In to follow in August.
A match that has been mentioned for years is a clash between the star and KENTA. The pair have essentially been at war for as long as anyone can remember with the Japanese star repeatedly calling out Punk for stealing his GTS finishing move. So naturally, Forbidden Door seemed like an ideal place for the match to be held.
Furthermore, it was recently reported that AEW was still hopeful that they could make the match happen. While this sparked optimism among fans, that optimism has now been quickly crushed.
A new report from Fightful Select has noted that the match is officially off. It appears that KENTA turned the match down after NJPW sources confirmed that it had been scheduled. KENTA recently tweeted that the match is “never going to happen,” and it seems that this was him genuinely withdrawing.
Punk was said to be open to the match and there were other options being discussed as of June 17th.
CM Punk Returns To CM Punk AT AEW Collision
At AEW Collision, CM Punk stepped back in the ring for the first time since September when he teamed with FTR to overcome Samoa Joe, Juice Robinson, and Jay White. The star also opened the show addressing his absence, throwing in a couple of jabs at The Elite and the Young Bucks.
The premiere episode of the show drew 816,000 viewers with a 0.33 rating in the 18-49-year-old demographic, landing at number three on cable.