CM Punk’s Potential WWE Return Is A Bad Idea Amid AEW Buyout

CM Punk’s last two stints in national pro wrestling companies were both remarkable and, ultimately, disastrous. Punk is currently in the midst of a dramatic exit from AEW, contract buyout and all. But as the dust settles, WWE has emerged as an unlikely suitor.

Even more unlikely, the interest is reportedly coming from new WWE Head of Creative—and old CM Punk foe—Triple H.

Both WWE and AEW experienced the full complement of the CM Punk experience. The embattled former AEW world champion helped foster memorable moments for all the right and wrong reasons. But at Age 43, with multiple serious injuries in recent months, CM Punk’s unquestioned star power is no longer worth the physical, mental or emotional risk attached to him. To call them risks might even be naïve because biblical outbursts have proven to be an inevitability with CM Punk.

WWE is enjoying a resurgence under Triple H during a honeymoon period amid Vince McMahon’s retirement/resignation. Ratings, ticket sales and many other key performance indicators are up significantly. The last thing WWE needs is its current lightning in a bottle to escape. As Punk showed with AEW during their own honeymoon period, a locker room implosion is a strong possibility as long as the pugnacious top star is under contract.

Despite his undeniable talents, and maybe even because of them, CM Punk has become the Terrell Owens of professional wrestling. His Hall of Fame credentials will always be compromised by backstage drama and issues outside of the ring. The dark cloud that followed CM Punk out of AEW continues to loom large over the company, which is still picking up the pieces of a fractured locker room that was damaged, in part, by Phil Brooks.

Punk’s latest implosion came in early September after what was supposed to be his finest hour. Shortly after defeating Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at AEW All Out, Punk unleashed a scathing shoot promo directed at several AEW top stars.

The scorched-earth tirade served to expose both Tony Khan’s leadership—or lack thereof—as well as AEW’s spineless media scrums. Khan’s dog-and-pony press conferences are papered with mostly AEW-friendly reporters who refused to ask any legitimate follow-up questions about Punk’s messy monologue. Punk, who was injured during the main event world title match in Chicago, has not been anywhere near AEW programming since.

With CM Punk exiting AEW in disastrous fashion, the promotion is reportedly buying out his contract. Punk was believed to be making around $3 million per year in a three-year deal. Punk’s inflammatory out-of-character comments about Hangman Adam Page, The Young Bucks and Colt Cabana—among others—gave way to an inevitable brawl between Punk, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. All parties have since been suspended and stripped of their championships. CM Punk is no longer the AEW world champion, while Omega and the Young Bucks dropped the AEW World Trios Championship. With AEW seemingly introducing a new championship every month, CM Punk and The Elite might be the only AEW stars without one. After weeks of silence on the matter, AEW finally referenced the vacated titles this past Tuesday on AEW Dynamite.

Punk’s best friend (for now) and former AEW backstage producer Ace Steel was relieved of his duties for his role in the melee.

CM Punk solidified his legacy while in WWE with the famous Pipe bomb promo in 2011. The worked-shoot will go down as one of the greatest promos in pro wrestling history. Punk’s memorable art-imitating-life storyline eventually led to him winning his first WWE Championship after threatening to leave WWE both in and out of storyline. Similar to his AEW exit, CM Punk’s WWE departure was followed by a long tirade (this time on a podcast alongside former best friend Colt Cabana) and an even longer legal process where Punk ultimately prevailed.

CM Punk would make a big splash in WWE, but then there would be a countdown to when those waters will turn into waves. With the Triple H Era going just fine without CM Punk, bringing him back into the fold sounds like a toxic mix of greed and spite from WWE, one that could ultimately backfire spectacularly.