CM Punk hasn’t appeared in an AEW ring since defeating Jon Moxley to claim the AEW World Championship for a second time on September 4th at All Out.
While an injury suffered by Punk left him needing surgery and out of action, it was his conduct at the post-event media scrum which appeared to seal his fate. The star launched a verbal attack on a number of his fellow stars including company Executive Vice Presidents, before a fight erupted backstage.
There Are Still “A Lot Of Issues” Between CM Punk And AEW
Along with all involved CM Punk was later suspended by the company, although it is now believed that he won’t be returning. It was recently reported that Punk is negotiating a contract buy-out with a potential move to WWE not completely off the table.
A hypothetical jump to WWE for Punk came into sharper focus on November 14th when it was reported that WWE had offered Steve Austin the chance to return to the ring. This sent social media into a frenzy, especially as people began to realise there was a chance, no matter how small, that Austin could go toe-to-toe with Punk at WrestleMania.
Speaking on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer commented that such a match would “shake up the business.” However, he added that the number of issues that exist between CM Punk and AEW could prevent the match from happening.
“If you’re looking for the match that’s going to shake up the business, the Punk match is the one, but I don’t know that Punk will have a release (from AEW) – there’s just a lot of issues there.”
Furthermore, there could also be problems in putting that match together from the WWE side of the equation too. Meltzer explained that there are also some within WWE who do not want CM Punk back in the company. Although these people are not on the creative, and the ultimate decision rests with Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan.
H/t to WrestleTalk