In light of the recent termination of CM Punk’s AEW contract, it’s been suggested that he may have been interested in a WWE return as recent as last December.
Last Saturday evening, All Elite Wrestling and Tony Khan officially announced that the company had parted ways with CM Punk as a result of the internal investigation into the backstage altercation between the Chicago native and Jack Perry at All In at Wembley Stadium on August 27.
The announcement of Punk’s departure rocked the wrestling world, and many are wondering what comes next for the now 44-year-old. Of course, many suspect that the star may take a step back and take a hiatus from the ring, though there remain those that link ‘The Best In The World’ to a return to WWE.
Despite many believing that CM Punk would never make his way back to WWE, Fightful Select are now reporting that the star was at least open to the idea back in December of 2022 when his future with AEW was in question due to his altercation with The Elite at that year’s All Out.
“Those close to Punk claim that around December 2022, Punk was open to leaving AEW, and even encouraged the idea so he could make a WWE return. Specifically, we’ve heard that he wanted to appear at the 2023 Royal Rumble.”
-Fightful Select
The report notes that any suggestion of a Royal Rumble return had only come from those close to Punk, with there being no suggestion as to whether AEW would’ve given him his release last December or whether WWE were interested in bringing him back.
Fightful also note that a potential idea that was circulating among some WWE talent was that Punk would feud with the person who eliminated him from the Rumble, with the two going on to main event night one WrestleMania, with Kevin Owens in consideration for the role. However, it’s unclear whether this was a genuine proposal or just a rumour.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on CM Punk and what his future may hold as soon as we hear more.
