Will CM Punk Go Back to WWE After Being Fired by AEW?

CM Punk is no longer part of All Elite Wrestling, as AEW President Tony Khan released a statement earlier today that announced the termination of Punk’s contract with the company. A backstage confrontation between Punk and Jack Perry reportedly kicked off a series of events that led to Punk lunging at Tony Khan, and Khan spoke in a recorded video on tonight’s Collision that seemed to corroborate some of those details. Since then the conversations about Punk possibly returning to WWE have started to pick up, and a new report from Fightful Select addresses the possibility of Punk returning to WWE and how he might be received by the company.

Fightful isn’t sure if there is a non-compete clause attached to the contract, or if there is any severance period, but Khan noted that the contract was terminated with cause. If there is no non-compete, Punk could go to another company, though it’s also not known if Punk even wants to continue to wrestle after his run in AEW, a place he reportedly soured on as time went on.

As for WWE, the report states that Punk still has major heat with numerous top names in WWE, and the last time he showed up unexpectedly backstage at a Monday Night Raw, he was eventually asked to leave. The report states that there had been no real expectations or plans of Punk going to WWE, and most people they spoke to didn’t think he was going to be fired by AEW.

Triple H is now head of creative in WWE, and when asked previously he’s publicly issued a “never say never” approach to a possible return. A previous report from WrestleVotes via GiveMeSport indicated that at one time he wanted nothing to do with CM Punk, but that has reportedly softened a bit, with Hunter looking at how Vince McMahon ultimately made amends with many that were thought to be done with WWE forever.

“I was told, I mean, pretty straightforward, that Triple H wants nothing to do with CM Punk, and even less to do with Phil Brooks. Well, that’s what I was told and that was July,” the insider said in a new interview (h/t WrestleTalk). “I did ask over the last couple of days, and it has softened a little bit from what I understand. I still think there’s animosity, I still think there’s a lot of pieces that need to be picked up between the two of them specifically. But Hunter, learned from Vince (McMahon) and Vince made amends with everybody. So to say that doors closed is ridiculous on anybody’s part, especially in this ‘war’ that’s happening right now… I would say never say never. Absolutely.”

You really can’t ever say never in WWE, and over the years we’ve seen plenty of names return. That said, it doesn’t mean that the two sides will actually come to terms, and it’s not known if either side wants to make a deal either. You can find Tony Khan’s statement on Punk’s departure from AEW below.

“Phil played an important role within AEW and I thank him for his contributions. The termination of his AEW contracts with cause is ultimately my decision and mine alone. Of course, I wish I didn’t have to share this news, which may come as a disappointment to many of our fans,” Khan wrote.

Nevertheless, I am making the decision in the best interests of the many amazing people who make AEW possible every week – our talent, staff, venue operators and many others whose efforts are unsung but essential to bringing our fans great shows on television and at arenas and stadiums throughout the world,” Khan wrote.