CM Punk’s WWE Return: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True

4. AEW References Galore

CM Punk Triple H WWE
AEW

WWE deliberately steered clear of any chat about CM Punk's most recent employer during his comeback at both Survivor Series and on Raw. There were no "shoot"-style comments from Punk, the commentary team or any of the other wrestlers about AEW, and that's a good thing when one stops to consider the alternative.

If only All Elite showed the same restraint.

The sheer number of WWE name drops and references on AEW programming became something of a running joke for a while, and there'd be no need for Punk to bother going there. Sadly, resisting temptation forever could prove too challenging once creative (and Punk himself) starts to run out of ideas.

Legally, Punk has to be careful what he says about Tony Khan, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Jack Perry etc, but there's nothing stopping him from cracking inside jokes with a wink and a nod. He shouldn't though, because it wouldn't achieve anything.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.