All Elite Wrestling is abuzz with rumours since it was reported that both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are set to join the company, however Tony Khan is keeping his cards close to his chest.
Fightful Select first reported that CM Punk was in talks with All Elite Wrestling on the 21st of July. Should the talks bear fruit it will mark a return to the wrestling ring for the first time in seven years since he walked out of WWE.
Later that same day Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reported that former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan had in fact signed with AEW. Bryan wrestled his last WWE match on the 30th of April edition of Friday Night SmackDown. Bryan faced Roman Reigns in a match for Reigns’ WWE Universal Championship. Bryan’s SmackDown career was also on the line and when Reigns won the match, that brought Bryan’s time on the blue brand to an end. It later emerged that Daniel Bryan’s WWE contract expired on the same day as his match with Reigns bringing his long association with the company to an end.
AEW President Tony Khan was speaking to The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski when he was asked about the possibility that one or both of the huge names were indeed set to become All Elite.
Khan wouldn’t be drawn on the issue, saying only:
“I have no comment on those, but those are good questions but I can’t comment on those.”
I can’t comment on those two guys, but I think there are certainly a lot of exciting rumours right now.”
Should Daniel Bryan and CM Punk join AEW they would be the latest in several former WWE stars to join the burgeoning ranks of AEW’s roster. Paul Wight and Mark Henry have recently taken up commentary roles in the company with Henry set to be the analyst on the new AEW Rampage show. Christian Cage, Andrade El Idolo, and Malakai Black have also all made their AEW debuts in recent months.