5 Reasons CM Punk Was WORTH The Trouble To AEW (... & 5 He Wasn't)
7. Wasn't: ...That Will Never Be Fulfilled
…Punk ended up burning so many bridges that some of the most exciting, no doubt financially lucrative matches the company could offer, just couldn’t be fulfilled.
Starting with the elephant in the ring, CM Punk vs Kenny Omega, probably the biggest match the wrestling industry could have put on in 2023 that will almost certainly never happen now. Apportioning blame for 2022’s post-PPV brawl is a fool’s errand, but simple bad blood and unprofessional behaviour has kiboshed a genuine dream match between wrestlers who shared (metaphorically speaking) a locker room for two years.
Adam Cole, Miro, Andrade, singles matches with Malakai Black and Jay White - all of these potentially classic matches and angles are now out of the window. Even if Punk were to sign with NJPW - the only remotely viable destination were he to continue wrestling - there’s no chance of Tony Khan opening the forbidden door for this liability.
The wrestling business ultimately comes down to matching up personalities for engaging stories and matches, and Punk’s behaviour has taken a sizable chunk out of the company’s options going forward.