CM Punk Backstage At IMPACT Taping In Chicago

CM Punk reportedly attended the latest IMPACT Wrestling TV taping in Chicago.

Punk has not been seen at a wrestling event since AEW All In back in August. There, the star was involved in a backstage altercation with Jack Perry which ultimately led to him being fired from the company with cause.

Since then, speculation has been rampant on Punk’s future in wrestling. It was thought that the most likely destination for the Second City Saint would see him make a stunning return to WWE, the company he walked out on in 2014. However, recent reports have quashed that thought, with WWE seemingly having turned him down.

Now, the former AEW World Champion has been seen at the latest tapings for IMPACT Wrestling. IMPACT held their Bound For Glory event in the city, but Punk was elsewhere attending the Blackhawks season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights.

According to Haus of Wrestling, Punk arrived at the tapings just before they began and spent time in the locker room. There, he is said to have made time for anyone who wanted to speak with him, and this included “key IMPACT talent.”

One reason for Punk’s presence could be related to his close friend Ace Steel having recently signed on as a producer at the company. However, as he began in his new duties over the weekend, he didn’t have much time to see Punk at the show.

Road Dogg asks if CM Punk was “the negative actioner” in AEW

Road Dogg, who currently serves as WWE’s Senior Vice President of Live Events, recently addressed CM Punk’s reputation following his AEW firing.

The Hall of Famer said that reports point to Punk being a negative in the company, but admitted that “we didn’t see and hear everything” that happened.

“From everything we heard [about his time in AEW], he did come off as the negative actioner. But was he? Because we don’t really know what happened. We didn’t see and hear everything…”