How CM Punk Could Change Wrestling FOREVER In 2024
One Bill Phil is AEW no more, but the WWE returnee may have a MAJOR impact in 2024.
CM Punk could emerge as a major difference-maker in one of the most significant professional wrestling stories of the decade.
Accompanying reports that WWE has held talks with AEW's television partners, Warner Bros. Discovery, over potentially taking Raw to the network, the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reports that Punk has "opened doors up" between the two parties.
WWE/WBD was previously reported to be a dead deal. This has changed in recent times, with Warner officials meeting WWE/TKO Group's Mark Shapiro, Nick Khan, and Paul 'Triple H' Levesque on Monday morning. Meltzer states that Punk was "a major part of the pitch" to bring Raw to WBD, predicated on the 45-year-old being assigned to Raw. WWE reportedly pushed Punk's merchandise sales, ratings, and social media views since returning at Survivor Series 2023.
WBD has aired AEW programming since the promotion's 2019 inception. Any WWE/WBD could greatly impact the Tony Khan-helmed group's fortunes, though there is no guarantee that a Raw agreement would involve wrestling exclusivity. WWE is owned by Endeavor now, not Vince McMahon, and it is thought that the company's deal to take NXT to the CW in 2024 doesn't have exclusivity.
Another interesting wrinkle is the longstanding rumour that Warner has an ownership stake in AEW. Tony Khan has never outright denied this, only maintaining that he has 100% voting and decision-making power.
Punk was fired by AEW with cause in September, having brawled with Jack Perry at the previous month's All In event. November saw him return to WWE as an immediate difference-maker at Survivor Series 2023.