Massive CM Punk-AEW Bombshell Dropped Amid WWE Absence
Amid CM Punk’s WWE absence, a handful of claims have tried to explain his situation.
Punk’s last match was during Night 2 of WrestleMania 42, where he lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns.
On the following Raw episode, he was confronted by the Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, as they teased competing for the title in the near future.
That was CM Punk’s most recent appearance in the Stamford promotion, leading fans to speculate about his future in the company.
In the meantime, a Twitter user, JCup2013, uploaded a series of tweets, revealing everything he had heard about Punk’s television absence.
His claims ranged from The Second City Saint politicking behind the scenes during WrestleMania 42, leading to him landing in the bad books of WWE and TKO officials.
He also claimed to have heard that Punk may have been asked to take a pay cut, as a result of which he might have threatened legal action and requested his release.
The tweets from the aforementioned user seem to have picked up traction among fans and a few inside sources. More recently, media outlets have refuted claims of CM Punk taking time off due to a possible conflict with his current employer.
PWInsider even quoted a WWE source claiming that the rumor “has as much truth to it as the stories that claimed Saudi Arabia bought us years ago.”
CM Punk Linked To AEW Return Amid WWE Absence
Before returning to WWE in November 2023, CM Punk was signed to rival promotion AEW.
However, he was fired after being involved in a backstage altercation with “Jungle” Jack Perry following the All In pay-per-view. Dave Meltzer reported that while Punk did not expect to be let go, he was not too upset about it anyway.
While representing All Elite Wrestling, Punk became a two-time World Champion.
After returning to the Stamford promotion, Punk has competed in several high-stakes matches, even winning the World Heavyweight Championship twice.
The buzz surrounding Punk’s WWE absence is such that questions are being asked about him potentially returning to AEW, should the rumors about him being at loggerheads with his current employer be true.
In response, Fightful Select has claimed that there are several believers in the Jacksonville company who think Punk can rebuild the bridge be burnt in 2023.
Regarding the talking point of CM Punk ever returning to AEW, there are people within the company that have long believed that bridge will be rebuilt, even if he never works or wrestles there again. Perhaps it wouldn’t be with everyone involved in Punk’s many conflicts there, but when we’d asked if he’d burned that bridge completely, we were hit with the “never say never.”
Conversely, sources claim that Punk is very much involved with WWE and is simply enjoying a much-deserved break from making live appearances, and fans can expect him to return as summer approaches.