CM Punk made his AEW Dynamite debut on this week’s episode on Milwaukee, cutting another promo about his return to pro wrestling alongside Tony Schiavone. At one point the crowd started giving the Yes! chant as Punk posed a question, prompting the former WWE Champion to smile. He responded, “That’s somebody else’s schtick and you might just need to be a little bit more patient,” heavily implying that Daniel Bryan was on his way to the company.
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Bryan was in the main event of WrestleMania 37 earlier this year but his contract with WWE expired at the end of April. Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net reported back in late July that Bryan had already put pen to paper in signing with AEW, and it was later reported that the plan was for him to debut when AEW makes its New York City debut next month.
What did @CMPunk just say?!?!?#AEWDynamite is available on #AEWPLUS
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Left is the photo CM Punk posted on his Instagram story minutes ago
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One of the reasons Bryan reportedly opted to join AEW was that he’d have the freedom to work for other promotions in Japan and Mexico. He talked in interviews prior to his departure about wanting a deal with WWE that would give him that kind of freedom.
“I brought [the idea] up to a lot of people,” Bryan told Barstool Sports‘ Robbie Fox. “I don’t think [a hair vs. hair match in Mexico] would happen. I also think that now, more than ever, it a time when people are open to new ideas. I think I have made some headway. Whether any of it actually happens, who knows. I don’t think people truly understand how great a lot of WWE Superstars are because we don’t necessarily put on a pure wrestling product, we put on a sports entertainment product.
“If all of a sudden you saw Cesaro in New Japan, people would be like, ‘This guy is the greatest.’ If you put Otis in New Japan, people would be like, ‘Holy cow, this guy is amazing.’ Like, Vader from the 90s type vibe. It’s just a different presentation,” he continued. “I think it would be a cool and unique contribution in wrestling, as far as giving back. I also think it’d be good for WWE and wrestling in general for them to go and learn at other places. I wouldn’t be the performer that I am today if I hadn’t wrestled in Japan or the UK, where it was all comedy. All of those things add to your depth and when it’s time to put you in a top position, you can do a number of things.”
