CM Punk is returning to All Elite Wrestling. The Second City Saint has been away from AEW programming since this past September’s AEW All Out as he suffered a torn triceps during his main event title bout with Jon Moxley. Punk added insult to injury when he put AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks on blast during the AEW All Out press conference, which resulted in both parties getting into a physical altercation in the locker room. The subsequent months bred lots of rumor and innuendo, as reports of third-party investigations and contract buyouts surfaced before the most recent developments of Punk and AEW’s mutual desire to have him back in the company.
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Initial reports from Fightful Select indicated that AEW was looking at the June 21st AEW Dynamite at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena to be the site of Punk’s return. Now, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that AEW is planning on running an event four days prior on Saturday, June 17th at Chicago’s United Center. While not finalized, the venue is “locked in” for that date. This show will reportedly be where Punk makes his AEW comeback.
The United Center has no shortage of history with AEW and Punk specifically. Punk’s AEW debut came inside that venue, as AEW booked the United Center for AEW Rampage: The First Dance in August 2021, which at the time was their biggest crowd to date. AEW returned to the United Center in June 2022 for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door.
Saturday, June 17th is no one-off date either. AEW is reportedly set to launch another weekly show under the Warner Bros. Discovery banner that will air every Saturday. The show’s rumored name is “AEW Collision.” Reports have indicated that the launch of this Saturday show will represent a soft brand split for the AEW roster with Punk being positioned as the centerpiece for the new program.
While there is still significant mystery surrounding Punk’s AEW return, it appears that he will be locked in a feud with Chris Jericho upon his comeback. Punk has expressed interest in working with Omega and the Bucks, but The Elite reportedly are not keen on sharing the ring with Punk. Jericho is another talent that Punk has had real-life issues with, and it appears that that bad blood will be transformed into a storyline come June. Jericho is currently feuding with Adam Cole, but that program will likely be wrapped up by May’s AEW Double or Nothing.
