A new report shines some light on CM Punk‘s return and the potential plans for him in All Elite Wrestling.
On the May 31 episode of AEW Dynamite, AEW CEO Tony Khan confirmed that CM Punk will return on the June 17 episode of AEW Collision. Punk had been absent since the events of “Brawl Out”, the physical altercation between the pairing of Punk and Ace Steel and The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks).
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that things have “absolutely cooled off” and there’s no word of any planned no walk-outs, despite former claims that several wrestlers would leave the company if Punk came back. Previous reports indicated that Punk was willing to apologize for his words at the All Out post-show press conference.
As previously reported, AEW is set to begin a brand split with the launch of AEW Collision, and Sapp noted that the show will help ensure that at least some talent who have issues with Punk and others will be kept apart. Though he played a major role in the infamous brawl, Steel remains an important part of the deal, with multiple sources praising his skill set and noting that he had been a valuable member of the team prior to AEW All Out 2022.
Sapp also provided an update on the potential plans for Punk’s return. There had been pitches for Punk to work with Chris Jericho, but there haven’t been any updates on that front in “quite some time.” A [previous report noted that Punk was planned for a match with Samoa Joe, and while that is still reportedly in the works, the former world champion has reportedly “taken a liking to Jay White”, so that could be a direction sooner rather than later.
WrestleZone will provide more information as it becomes available.
