10 Wrestlers Who Found That AEW Wasn't The Promised Land
2. CM Punk
He's already been partially responsible for one name on this list, so it's about time he got his own entry.
Who could have foreseen that also a year to the day after his first match for AEW, CM Punk would have what could potentially be his last for the company. After a year of incredible storylines and matches with men like Eddie Kingston, Wardlow, and MJF, Punk went off the rails at the post All Out media scrum, making comments that led to him and The Elite being suspended after a backstage brawl.
The two-time AEW Champion spoke very highly of the company in his electrifying return promo on Rampage, calling it his "return to professional wrestling". Just 12 months on, in another equally famous promo, he lambasted the AEW locker room, calling them "children" and other names we won't repeat here.
Ego has always been part of CM Punk and this time it seems to have cost him his place in AEW. It's clear that the company was not the oasis Punk wanted it to be and, whether that's on the company or the man, it's a sad sight for all those who were so excited to see him back.