AEW, CM Punk Reportedly Discussing Contract Buyout

CM Punk, as expected, may be done with AEW for good.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Punk and AEW are discussing a contract buyout that would end Punk’s brief tenure with the company: “Those with close knowledge of the situation said they are in talks with Punk about a buy-out of the remaining years of his contract, which tells you that they are not looking to bring him back.”

Punk, of course, hasn’t been seen in AEW since his infamous backstage brawl involving The Young Bucks at September’s All Out pay-per-view. AEW and its President Tony Khan have been tight-lipped regarding the incident because of the potential legal ramifications of revealing information about the investigation, which has sent shockwaves through all of pro wrestling.

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It’s long been reported that Punk isn’t expected back in AEW and is likely going to end his tenure with pro wrestling’s No. 2 promotion barely a year after making his triumphant return to the squared circle. Punk’s rant at the post-All Out media scrum was the driving force behind that premature AEW exit, and his short stint with the company shockingly came to a screeching halt on the very same night that he became the AEW World Heavyweight Champion.

Aside from some indefinite suspensions, however, the only confirmed deperature since the AEW “Brawl Out” was that of Ace Steel, who has reportedly been let go by AEW. Steel, a long-time friend of Punk and backstage producer for AEW, is no longer with the company, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after Steel given that his involvement in the Punk-Bucks melee came shortly after he was fined for swearing on TV.

AEW getting rid of a seldom seen producer is one thing. But AEW moving on from a star the caliber of Punk, Omega, Nick or Matt Jackson? That’s a whole different ballgame.

Ranking among AEW’s highest paid stars, Punk had been lauded by Khan as a significant TV ratings draw for AEW and one of its cornerstones, despite Punk’s lengthy absence from the ring and the fact that he wasn’t an AEW original. As fans have seen with Cody Rhodes, losing a top star can have a huge effect on a pro wrestling company’s backstage environment, and in the case of Rhodes, it sure feels like he was the glue that was holding AEW’s locker room together.

On the other hand, Punk had been well known as a “divisive personality” in AEW and in pro wrestling in general, which is both part of the reason why he was able to reach the pinnacle of the business and a contributing factor to why he so unceremoniously left WWE in 2014 and then stayed out of pro wrestling for the next several years. It’s also why there’s a lot of “anti-Punk sentiment” in AEW right now. With a big personality and a main event-level push comes a lot of attention, pressure and envy, and Punk entered AEW in 2021 and was instantly pushed as one of the comnpany’s biggest stars.

His brief AEW stint, though enjoyable and certainly memorable, will down as one of the most significant events in AEW’s four-year history. That’s because Punk’s expected AEW deperature represents a major turning point for AEW after Punk became a polarizing and divisive locker room figure. Since Punk has been gone, veteran stars like Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson have stepped up as locker room leaders, resulting in substantial improvements to AEW’s locker room morale.

Even if Punk’s contract is bought out, however, the damage has already been done.

Numerous AEW stars are looking to exit the company and go or return to WWE, a reality that was likely expedited by morale issues that, at least in part, stemmed from Punk’s involvement in creating a divided locker room. But Punk appears to be as good as gone, and in reality, the negative effects that would be created by bringing him back far outweight any potential positives.

AEW has enough homegrown stars and established names to right the ship and do so without Punk, so if he’s bought out? Expect those WWE return rumors to heat up, but don’t be surprised a contract buyout marks the end of Punk’s career altogether.