10 Biggest Mysteries In The Secret War Between AEW And CM Punk

2. Will CM Punk Return To AEW?

CM Punk
AEW

Mystery:

Will CM Punk return to AEW?

One moment, he's claiming that he's prepared to be a big boy, get in a room, thrash the whole Brawl Out debacle out, shake hands with the Elite, and walk out. It's that easy.

The next, reports claim that he's a slippery and paranoid figure who'd prefer to administrate the significantly less complex particulars of a 50/50 pro wrestling programme through the legal process.

Whether he wants to return to AEW or not - and whether it's as simple a process as he makes out or not - it's not exactly up to him. Few wrestlers want to work with him, and he lacks leverage at time of writing. Forbidden Door drew a million dollar gate almost instantly. Walk-up business is stronger than ever, bucking a three-year trend. Kenny Omega is back as a big-time singles performer, and the ratings tentatively suggest, just as they did in the summer of 2021, that people very much want him in that role.

Then again, AEW is a state of flux. On more than one occasion this year, Dynamite has badly under-performed. Rampage is struggling constantly. Revolution failed to sell out.

If AEW isn't close to equalling WWE on the ratings front, likewise, it isn't close to failing. The flux is the trend. A pattern of decline isn't happening.

AEW, as yet, does not need CM Punk - and in a case of life imitating art, he's currently working a gauntlet programme against countless AEW talents. Will he defeat them all and get his match at the pay-per-view?

Theory:

Yes. It's wrestling.

Never, ever say never.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!