CM Punk is on his way back to AEW. The Second City Saint has been away from professional wrestling since September 2022 after suffering a torn triceps in the main event of AEW All Out. Punk added insult to injury at the now-infamous post-show press conference when he went on an uncensored and unscripted tirade directed towards numerous people within the company, which sparked a backstage fight between himself and AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. While it remains to be seen as to how many hatchets have been buried, the bulk of the bad blood appears to have simmered as AEW prepares for Punk’s reported return.
AEW is expected to announce AEW Collision, a new Saturday primetime program this week at Warner Bros. Discovery upfronts. That show is reportedly coming alongside Punk’s return, as he is rumored to be making his AEW comeback on the speculated June 17th debut of AEW Collision. Punk’s initial AEW debut was deliberately crafted as the worst kept secret, but the company shied away from announcing it completely. This time, that might not be the case.
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According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast, Punk’s AEW return is expected to be “announced in the coming days.” This could mean that AEW makes the official announcement at WBD upfronts or on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
Punk is reportedly pushing to work with Ring of Honor Television Champion Samoa Joe when he returns to wrestling. Punk and Joe went to wars in the early 2000s era of ROH, notably competing against one another in multiple 60-minute Iron Man matches.ย
Another pitched program for Punk comes against Chris Jericho. The two men reportedly spoke several weeks ago in what was described as a “relatively uneventful” meeting. Punk and Jericho had some issues after AEW All Out, as Jericho reportedly called Punk a cancer to the locker room and a detriment to the company. Punk called out Jericho a couple months back on Instagram, referring to him as “a liar and a stooge.” Like Joe, Punk already has an in-ring history with Jericho as he fought him for the WWE Championship at WWE WrestleMania 28 back in 2012.
This story is developing. Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for updates.
