Dave Meltzer Explains Why He Knew CM Punk Would Return To Wrestling

CM Punk spent several months on the shelf due to injury and as a result of his backstage fight at All Out in 2022 but the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer explained why he thought Punk would return to wrestling.

The backstage fight between CM Punk and The Elite at All Out in 2022 is now part of wrestling folklore but in the aftermath, it looked uncertain whether or not Punk would ever return to the company after previously spending 7 years out of wrestling after he walked out on WWE.

Punk eventually did return to AEW in June 2023 as he helped launch the new Saturday night Collision show although it doesn’t look like he’ll be turning his real-life issues with The Elite into part of the show anytime soon.

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Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Dave Meltzer explained that he believed CM Punk would return to wrestling following the incident and expected that return to come in AEW:

“I did not know 100% [Punk] would be back in AEW, but I knew he would be back wrestling somewhere. I know people in WWE, it was like, they’re not going to take him. And it’s like, ‘Maybe yes, maybe no,’ but it was immaterial because Tony [Khan] wasn’t going to release him.

“The thing is, at some point, I thought he would be back and probably in AEW. It didn’t happen exactly the way I expected, but it did happen, and it’s because he can draw, and a guy who has a history of drawing will always get that chance until the wheels are totally off. That’s all.”

CM Punk will be part of the final to crown a winner of the men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament following his big win over Samoa Joe on Collision.

h/t Wrestling Inc.