Top AEW Stars Reportedly In Favor Of CM Punk Departure

AEW and CM Punk are at a crossroads, and they finally may be going their separate ways.

The controversial former world champion was reportedly set to return to AEW after nearly a year away, but he was expected to be the focal point of AEW’s new show Collision, which debuts next month. However, Punk’s return hit a snag when he was removed from promotional materials for Collision, apparently a result of issues with the return of Punk’s close friend and AEW producer Ace Steel.

Now, Punk’s long awaited return following AEW’s infamous “Brawl Out” in September 2022 is on hold once again, and if some top AEW stars have their way, Punk won’t be back at all.

Wade Keller of PWTorch (h/t Cageside Seats) reports that numerous AEW stars aren’t exactly ready to welcome Punk back with open arms: Keller is “‘consistently told by multiple people in AEW’ that most of the company’s ‘top wrestlers who regularly appear on Dynamite would be relieved if [CM] Punk and AEW parted ways.’”

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The AEW-Punk saga has gone on since September 2022 following a major backstage brawl involving Punk, Steel, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. Punk hasn’t appeared for AEW since then, and most signs have pointed to him being done with the company for good.

That was until very recently when Punk was finally referenced on AEW Dynamite again after his name had become taboo over the previous eight months. And the longer Punk went without returning, the less likely his return became.

After Punk went off on AEW—and top star Chris Jericho—in an Instagram post back in March, Keller (h/t PWTorch) wrote: “The politics aren’t terrible among the top guys. I mean, there is some tension between some of the top guys, but it’s mostly Punk doesn’t get along with Hangman, Punk doesn’t get along with Moxley, Punk doesn’t get along with Kenny, Punk doesn’t get along with The Bucks.”

Punk and Jericho reportedly squashed their beef at a meeting last month, though with the two former WWE rivals even being considered for a potential rekindling of their feud to coincide with the debut of Collision. That seemingly paved the way for Punk’s once improbable return.

Then, it all imploded. Again.

Punk reportedly wants his friend Steel back in AEW with him. Indeed, AEW re-hired Steel, but the company choosing only to let Steel work remotely caused yet another rift. Now, Punk and AEW have finally reached a breaking point. Punk was initially set to be the top star on Collision, with AEW even implementing some type of brand split mainly as a means of keeping Punk happy and away from stars he doesn’t really get along with.

The reasoning? Punk was a big draw for AEW, and the company has been unable to grow its audience with Punk gone. That has given Punk more leverage than any single AEW star in the company’s brief history, so much so that AEW—more or less—is bending over backward to bring Punk back into the mix

Now, however, Punk appears to have an ultimatum. Wrestling Inc founder Raj Giri reported via Twitter Spaces (h/t Cultaholic) earlier this week that “AEW sent a legal notice to Punk yesterday that he either has to comply or they’re gonna file a suit against him.”

In other words, time is running out on a Punk return, and if this week’s Dynamite goes by with no mention of Punk returning on Collision, that could be the nail in the coffin of Punk’s wildly memorable AEW career.