Punk's return to AEW was mentioned in the first buyout reports as being at best shaky, and Fightful's information just served to confirm this.
Never say never is a wrestling cliche that would be perfectly embodied by Triple H welcoming CM Punk back to the WWE Universe. Speculation has been widespread as to whether or not CM Punk will rejoin WWE if released from his AEW contract in light of news that AEW and CM Punk may be in discussions regarding a contract buyout resulting from the backstage altercation during All Out.
The new Triple H regime in charge would be open to “anything within reason” given the appropriate money, creativity, and circumstance, according to insiders in WWE speaking on the record to Fightful Select. “Triple H wants to be a success and make compelling programming more than anything,” per the report. “CM Punk back in WWE is compelling programming, but I can’t see it being a full-time deal like what he has in AEW, because of exactly what happened in AEW. That’s even if he has interest. If he gets a buyout, he may not need to work again.”
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Punk’s return to AEW was mentioned in the first buyout reports as being at best shaky, and Fightful’s information just served to confirm this. A non-compete clause may prove to be a stumbling block in any negotiations, with AEW maybe trying to reduce the chance that Punk signs and quickly makes an appearance on WWE.
Punk left WWE in January 2014, and the company subsequently dismissed him in June of that same year. After that, Punk had a seven-year hiatus from professional wrestling before making a comeback with AEW in August 2021. When discussing his experience with WWE in the past, he hasn’t always been kind.
Ace Steel, a friend of Punk’s and a former coworker, was recently let go by AEW, the first significant action the corporation has taken against anybody associated with the backstage altercation. On this week’s episode of “AEW Dynamite,” The Elite were mentioned during a Trios competition, and a video of a young CM Punk was shown during a Ring of Honor marketing package. Since then, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and CM Punk have all stayed off television and away from the business.
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