Did CM Punk want to return to WWE after debuting in AEW? Latest report sheds light

The backstage drama involving CM Punk has overshadowed the success of AEW's All In pay-per-view, which ended up being one of the biggest pro wrestling events ever. The week following the spectacle was dominated by new revelations and details about the incident, which led to The Second City Saint getting fired from the company on September 2, 2023.

But this is not the first time that Punk has been involved in such a controversy. At the media scrum following All Out in September 2022, CM Punk went on a rant about Adam Page, which later triggered a backstage brawl between various AEW stars and led to the suspensions of everyone involved. After All Out, Punk remained absent from AEW programming for nine months due to suspension and injuries sustained during his match at the event, eventually returning in June 2023.

Fightful Select recently reported that CM Punk was open to leaving AEW and making a return to WWE around December 2022 after the events of All Out, when things were sour between The Straight Edge Superstar and the Jacksonville-based promotion.

As per the report, Punk's idea was to return at the WWE Royal Rumble 2023 and then have a match at WrestleMania with the superstar who eliminated him in the Rumble, with Kevin Owens' name being thrown around as that person.

However, Fightful Select did not have any information about WWE's interest in the idea of Punk's return or AEW's interest in releasing him from his contract at the time.

CM Punk is a former WWE Champion and had a nine-year tenure with the Stamford-based company, but left in 2014 due to multiple issues, including unhappiness with creative and health-related problems.