The clock is ticking on CM Punk’s AEW future. The Second City Saint has been out of action since September 2022, as he tore his triceps in the AEW All Out main event against Jon Moxley. Punk added insult to injury after the bell at the post-show press conference, blasting AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks before getting into a backstage fight with the aforementioned parties. Regardless of his controversial comments, Punk’s injury was going to keep him off of television for the next eight months. With Punk now nearly seven months into his recovery, AEW President Tony Khan has a decision to make.
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Punk’s social media behavior in recent weeks have led to speculation that he is interested in returning to AEW, with the Wrestling Observer reporting that the former champion wanted to make a comeback. While most of Punk’s social media teases have been cryptic, the 44-year-old star’s most recent (and now deleted) post provides a transparent look into what went down in his last month on AEW TV.
“SIGH. I wasn’t cleared to come back to wrestle yet,” Punk wrote in a now-deleted Instagram Story.
Punk is referencing his AEW Dynamite return on August 10th, 2022. This ended Punk’s summer-long hiatus, as a broken foot forced him to miss all of June and July. Though injured, he remained Lineal AEW World Champion, and Jon Moxley became interim titleholder in his absence. Many expected the two to have their unification bout at AEW All Out the following month, but Punk and Moxley ended up wrestling each other two weeks later on AEW Dynamite.
“The plan was to wrestle at the ppv. I sat and listened to Moxley’s Rocky III idea,” Punk continued, referencing Moxley’s pitch to beat him in quick fashion on TV before losing to him at the pay-per-view. “I explained how I’d never seen a Rocky movie. I thought the idea sucked but if the boss wanted to do it whatever. He said he wouldn’t lose to me. I’d never experienced someone refusing to lose to me. I just laughed.”
Despite Punk and Moxley butting heads on the concept, Khan ultimately decided to go with what Mox pitched.
“I asked Tony if this was what he wanted. He said yes,” Punk continued. “I said okay but I’d need to be cleared first. They kept saying it could just be a squash so I didn’t need to be cleared. I scoffed at that. My health is more important.”
Punk finished the post by calling the Wrestling Observer‘s Dave Meltzer “a liar” and AEW star Chris Jericho “a liar and a stooge.” Meltzer has been reporting updates on Punk’s status since September, including most recently reporting that he wanted to return to AEW. Jericho reportedly told the AEW locker room that Punk would not be welcomed back.
Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates on Punk’s AEW future.
