10 Wrestlers AEW Let Slip Through Their Fingers
1. CM Punk
Oh, what could have been with CM Punk and AEW.
Many fans are likely sick of hearing about the prospect of Punk ever wrestling again, but the truth is, it almost happened, at least in AEW. Had company officials (cough, Cody, cough) played their cards a bit better and approached him with an actual offer in a more professional manner (at least according to Punk himself), chances are he would have wrestled a match or two for them by now.
As soon as August's All Out event was announced to be emanating from his hometown from Chicago, fans pegged it as the perfect place for him to debut. One month out, however, Punk made it abundantly clear in an interview with ESPN that their lack of communication all but eliminated the possibility of him coming to work with them in any capacity.
Talk of him serving as an analyst for the new WWE Backstage show on FS1 also started up around this time, something that seemed almost impossible considering how far he distanced himself from the company since he walked out six years ago. Despite that, he shockingly signed on to do the show in November (presumably for a large sum of money) and in the process put the rumors of him competing in an AEW ring to rest once and for all.
The Voice of the Voiceless could have sparked major interest in AEW from current and former fans alike, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.