CM Punk to face 9-time champion in his first WWE match since 2014? 4 reasons why it shouldn't happen

Could CM Punk be returning to WWE in the near future? That is the talk of the town in recent days. The Straight Edge Superstar was publicly fired by Tony Khan, of All Elite Wrestling, after several real-life backstage incidents with multiple wrestlers.

Despite being unceremoniously dumped by his employer, Punk is a major star. He can also be smart, which is evident by the former world champion briefly chatting with Triple H a few months ago, at least according to PWInsider. Potentially making peace with his former employer certainly seems to have been a wise move in hindsight.

There have also been reports that Punk was looking to return to the company last year itself, with the hopes of wrestling Kevin Owens. The Straight Edge Star even supposedly hoped for a big-time WrestleMania bout between the two larger than life personalities.

Despite Punk wanting that bout, it may not be the ideal match for CM Punk to have if he does return to the company. This article will look at a handful of reasons why Punk and Owens shouldn't be The Straight Edge Superstar's return bout.

Below are four reasons why Kevin Owens shouldn't be CM Punk's return match in WWE.

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#4. The two have had real-life issues in the past

One of the less obvious reasons, as to why CM Punk and Kevin Owens clashing in WWE may be a mistake, comes down to their past. For fans who may not be aware, The Straight Edge Superstar and The Prizefighter once had a major blowup.

Kevin Owens told the story back when he was still on the indie scene. Allegedly upon joining Ring of Honor, some had an issue with Kevin wearing a t-shirt. Punk was apparently one of those who did, and Owens was publicly berated in front of everybody for it.

It remains unclear if the two ever patched things up, as they never seemingly crossed paths again in the years since. If there's still animosity over the issue, however, the two feuding in WWE could lead to disgruntled talent.

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#3. CM Punk's issues with The Elite could carry over to Kevin Owens in WWE

More drama could possibly stand in the way of Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk being a good idea. While Punk has made his fair share of enemies in WWE, he has more recently had issues with numerous stars in AEW.

The Straight Edge Superstar very notably had issues with The Elite, a stable comprised of Hangman Adam Page, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega. Those issues, along with drama with other AEW stars, ultimately led to Punk being fired.

Kevin Owens is good friends with Nick and Matt Jackson. Given that the former WWE Champion had a legitimate backstage fight with them a year ago, Owens may not even want to work with Punk. In fact, there could be bad blood on both of their ends.

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#2. Kevin Owens is a babyface

Kevin Owens

Beyond the backstage drama, and real-life issues that could affect any potential bout between Kevin Owens and CM Punk in WWE, there's also creative challenges. Perhaps the most obvious issue is the fact that both men would presumably be babyfaces.

Kevin Owens is one of WWE's most popular stars. Along with Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, and LA Knight, many contribute the number of talented babyfaces as a key reason for the company's business boom in the recent past. Meanwhile, CM Punk would almost certainly return with much fanfare and crowd adulation.

Having two babyfaces feud is a gamble. In fact, some would call it a needless risk. Splitting the crowd on either man risks damaging their role as a money drawing babyface. Is doing the bout worth the potential negatives that come with it?

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#1. Owens is busy in his tag team with Sami Zayn

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens

Another major creative hurdle simply comes down to card positioning. CM Punk would almost certainly return to WWE as a singles star. There'd be no reason to align him with a partner or a stable immediately.

Meanwhile, Kevin Owens is part of a tag team. He and his long-time best friend, Sami Zayn, are one of the top tag teams in the promotion currently. In fact, the two stars were the Unified RAW & SmackDown Tag Team Champions until recently.

Unless WWE plans to split the two up, having Owens pursue a singles rivalry with Punk seems counter productive to The Prizefighter's current booking. Plus, would Sami end up getting involved too? That could just further confuse the issue.