10 Shocking AEW Behind The Scenes Revelations
10. CM Punk Was Tony Khan's #1 Pick To Launch AEW With
Right now, it looks highly unlikely that CM Punk will ever step foot in an AEW ring - or an AEW building, for that matter - ever again. Still, while the Second City Saint's brief but brilliant #AllElite run will live long in the memory, the Chicagoan's AEW tenure could've started way earlier if Tony Khan got his way.
As revealed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio back in 2019, prior to the launch of AEW, CM Punk was the very first person Khan had in mind to start his new wrestling promotion with.
From Meltzer at the time:
"[CM Punk] was Tony Khan's first pick, before Jericho, before the Young Bucks, before anyone. If [Punk] wants to wrestle, he can wrestle and make very good money if that's what he wants."
The official announcement of AEW becoming a thing happened on 1 January 2019, over two-and-a-half years prior to CM Punk making his goosebumps-inducing arrival in the promotion at The Last Dance on 20 August 2021.
Punk was clearly the hottest free agent out there at the moment AEW launched, but nobody in their right mind back then would've thought it possible to lure the burned and battered Phil Brooks back in the pro wrestling game. Oh, how wrong those doubters would be...
Still, the debate will rage on for years to come on whether or not what CM Punk eventually brought to the table was a net positive or a net negative for the company.