10 Wrestlers That Got BANNED From AEW
2. CM Punk
Ask CM Punk if he'd ever think about wrestling for AEW again and he'd laugh harder than any man has laughed before. After all, why would he even need to think about that when things are going so well for him in WWE? Punk shocked the world by returning under Triple H's watch at Survivor Series 2023, and he's been a valuable, well-behaved soldier for the company for close to 2 full years now.
What occurred after All Out 2022 is ancient history for Punk at this point, but his name must still be mud in AEW. Look at it this way: Tony Khan was the one who brought CM Punk back to top tier wrestling in 2021. A WWE reprise seemed like mission impossible back then, and the All Elite move seemed to suit both parties. Punk got to wrestle in front of his fans again, and AEW could capitalise on his star power whilst thumbing their noses at WWE.
How things change, huh?
Now, it's Triple H thumbing his nose at Khan by offering a fired up Punk to his own fanbase. That isn't something anyone saw coming when CM waltzed onto old AEW show Rampage in 2021. If anything, he seemed like the man who'd lead Tony's group into the future. Nope, Punk is back on WWE's team, and that has to annoy Khan privately.
There was a lot of legal red tape to sort out after events at All Out and another nasty backstage incident with Jack Perry over in London during AEW's Wembley Stadium debut in the summer of 2023. Punk was cranky, injury prone and rapidly losing faith in Tony's ability to lead.
He'd likely get the door slammed shut in his face, but that's OK. Punk probably wouldn't knock it in the first place.