If there is one thing CM Punk is very good at, other than being a pro wrestler, it is creating attention around himself. The Second City Saint took center stage in the world of pro wrestling when he joined AEW a little less than two years ago, and further drew attention after his more than candid All Out media scrum about a year later. Since that time, Punk has not been seen on TV but that has not stopped news surrounding him from dominating pro wrestling news sites.
Since the backstage altercation at All Out, it does not appear that The Elite and Punk have been able to make amends. Reportedly, Punk has been told not to make contact with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, making a hatchet burial impossible, even if he wanted to. With that news lingering has also been the talk of a new AEW Saturday show, possibly called Collision, that could see Punk as the central focus, leaving The Elite to be the stars on Wednesday night’s Dynamite.
One way Tony Khan appears to be working Punk back into the fold is by having him participate in a sit-down meeting with Chris Jericho, along with himself and FTR. The purpose of the meeting is not clear at this time with some believing it could be about Punk and Jericho working together, while others see it as a way to simply begin mending fences. If there is going to be a roster split to accommodate both shows, it is possible Punk and Jericho could be sharing a locker room on Saturday nights, with The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club remaining the big Wednesday draws.
As this is all playing out, word broke last night that Punk was backstage at WWE Raw. PWInsider is reporting that while Punk was backstage he spoke with The Miz, someone that he has exchanged barbs with on social media, possibly burying the hatchet. Interestingly, the report also noted that Punk made time to “briefly” speak with Paul Levesque. Shortly after, WWE head of security Jim Kelly apparently asked Punk to leave and it appears he did so without incident.
Fightful is reporting that Punk’s attendance backstage “shocked” Triple H, along with everyone else backstage. Punk seemed to indicate he was invited by friends and, as of Monday, AEW had not reached out to Punk about his presence at the show. It does not appear there is a concern on AEW’s part that Punk is jumping back to WWE.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that some believe Punk was there trying to make inroads regarding a potential WWE return. PWInsider, however, reports that others backstage viewed Punk’s presence as a publicity stunt leading toward his eventual AEW return. It is worth noting that Dax Harwood repeatedly hinted FTR could leap to WWE before re-signing with AEW. Many in the AEW locker room were reportedly in disbelief that Punk was backstage at a WWE show, especially considering how much is going on behind the scenes at AEW.
Stay with Haus of Wrestling for all the latest CM Punk news.