CM Punk Makes First Public Appearance Since AEW All Out

Former AEW World Heavyweight Champion appears on screen for the first time since acrimonious split.

CM Punk
AEW

CM Punk has returned to television screens for the first time since the explosive events of AEW All Out 2022 weekend.

The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion was cage side for Cage Fury Fighting Championships, donning a commentary headset he'd previously worn in 2018 and 2019 before his remarkable return to wrestling in 2021.

Punk even offered a gentle quip during his introduction, noting that he "missed everybody watching at home, miss the fights, but tonight I'm not gonna do that";

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The last time CM Punk appeared in front of cameras was during September 4th's post-All Out press scrum where he infamously scorched AEW's earth as well, seemingly, as his own career with the group. After offering scathing criticisms of Colt Cabana, Hangman Page and the Executive Vice Presidents, he was involved in a backstage fight alongside Ace Steel with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

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In the immediate aftermath, both he and The Elite were stripped of their respective titles and disappeared completely. Sine then, Ace Steel was released, Colt Cabana made a shocking one-off appearance on the November 2nd edition of Dynamite and Omega and The Bucks' Full Gear return has been heavily teased.

Other than in Bobby Fish's grabby promo copy, Punk's not had any kind of public presence since. There's no confirmation of future appearances with CFFC for Punk, nor clear word on his AEW status beyond multiple reports that a contract buy-out is currently being negotiated.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett