5 things that would be different about AEW if CM Punk hadn't left

CM Punk arrived in All Elite Wrestling in August 2021 after a seven-year-long absence from the wrestling business. The Voice of The Voiceless quickly became a massive draw for the Tony Khan-led company, helping them emerge as a legitimate competitor against WWE.

Unfortunately, Punk's AEW career took a wrong turn when he entered into a rivalry with Hangman Adam Page in the summer of 2022. The Anxious Millenial Cowboy disliked The Second City Saint for the latter's alleged backstage politics, which prompted him to deliver a scathing promo on Dynamite. The Hanger vented out his real-life frustrations on The Straight Edge Superstar, calling the latter a hypocritical individual during one of their segments.

CM Punk soon developed issues with other members of The Elite as well, which led to the infamous "Brawl Out" incident at All Out 2022. Although Punk eventually returned to television in June 2023, he was strictly kept away from The Elite.

However, The Best in The World did not last in the company for too long, as he was fired by Tony Khan following his brawl with Jack Perry at All In 2023. It has been almost a year since that incident, and AEW is still struggling to fill in the void left by Punk's departure.

In this article, let's look at five things that could have been different if CM Punk had not left All Elite Wrestling:

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#5. It would not have allowed other stars to rise as main event talents

After he arrived in AEW, CM Punk was treated as the main attraction of the company by Tony Khan. The head booker of All Elite Wrestling acknowledged Punk's drawing power, prompting him to constantly feature him in main event storylines. As The Voice of The Voiceless acquired a spot in the World Title picture, it made it difficult for other underrated stars to grab the brass ring.

The overreliance on The Best in The World was a significant mistake on Tony Khan's part. The 45-year-old star had a certain vision for All Elite Wrestling, which had started to show its influence on Tony Khan's booking. If Punk had continued to be creatively involved with AEW, the promotion could have looked a lot different than it does now, with only a handful of stars taking the main event spot.

Once The Straight Edge Superstar departed the company, AEW suddenly witnessed the rise of several exciting talents. Since it was difficult to replace Punk with any single individual, talents like Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, and MJF combined to steady AEW's ship.

Punk's departure allowed Tony Khan to infuse the main event scene with fresh blood, who could serve the Jacksonville-based promotion for years to come. Following All In 2023, AEW has signed plenty of international talents to reclaim the audience that left alongside The Second City Saint.

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#4. An official brand split could have been implemented

AEW's Saturday Night Show, Collision, was conceptualized as a brand that would strictly follow CM Punk's creative input. Following the events of All Out 2022, Tony Khan was very careful about keeping The Straight Edge Superstar miles away from Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

An unofficial brand split had taken place, with Dynamite and Collision having separate rosters. While stars like Ricky Starks, Christian Cage, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler had become Collision exclusive, The Elite and their allies remained the cornerstones of Dynamite.

If CM Punk had continued to hold the reins of Collision's creative direction, All Elite Wrestling could have been headed toward a proper brand split. The Voice of The Voiceless was seemingly in favor of a "separate rosters" format for AEW, which helped the two weekly shows develop their own identities.

Now that The Best in The World is no longer in AEW, the rosters have returned to their original assimilated state. While Dynamite has remained unaffected by the change, Collision seems to have become an afterthought now that it no longer has a separate talent pool.

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#3. AEW may not have been struggling on the ratings front if CM Punk was still around

CM Punk is arguably the most beloved figure in the pro wrestling community. During his seven-year-long absence, chants of his name echoed around every wrestling arena around the world. When The Straight Edge Superstar eventually returned to the business in 2021, he drew one of the loudest reactions in the history of the sport.

CM Punk's arrival helped legitimize AEW in the eyes of the audience. A company that once seemed like a well-funded Indie project transformed into a viable alternative to WWE once he entered the equation. The Best in The World brought with him a massive fanbase, which soon turned into a loyal audience for AEW.

However, the events of All In 2023 dealt a huge blow to All Elite Wrestling on the ratings front. The audience was not too impressed with Tony Khan parting ways with CM Punk, prompting them to withdraw their support from the Jacksonville-based promotion. A company that was once doing over one million viewers on Dynamite is barely generating 600-700K weekly viewers at the moment.

Tony Khan himself had admitted on numerous occasions that Punk was the reason behind AEW's massive financial success and multiple pay-per-view sellouts. With The Voice of The Voiceless now out of the company, All Elite Wrestling finds itself struggling to regain the impressive viewership it once had.

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#2. The Elite vs. AEW storyline may not be happening

The events of All In 2023 brought some prominent AEW stars into a negative light. Fans were irate at CM Punk leaving AEW, causing them to vent out their frustrations on The Elite and Jack Perry.

The Young Bucks doubled down on the outside heat to craft their new characters. The duo finally embraced the powers they held as the AEW EVPs to terrorize the rest of the roster. The reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions then recruited Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry, essentially kicking off the war between The Elite and AEW.

In April 2024, The Bucks aired the footage of the brawl between CM Punk and Jack Perry that occurred at All In 2023. The incident confirmed that The Young Bucks' new gimmick was born from the negative reaction they received due to their backstage rivalry with The Best in The World.

If CM Punk had never been fired from AEW, The Bucks might have never turned heel, and The Elite vs. AEW storyline would not be happening.

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#1. The Elite vs. CMFTR would have taken place

The brawl-out incident at All Out 2022 drew divisive reactions from fans. While some people were upset at CM Punk burying the EVPs, others were critical of The Elite for spreading misinformation about the company's biggest draw.

Although the two sides were kept separated for a long time, it did not stop Punk and The Elite from taking shots at each other. The Best in The World also had FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) by his side. The duo became a major force on Collision.

It seemed like the two factions were headed towards a monumental rivalry, that could have changed the landscape of All Elite Wrestling. Unfortunately, the dream match between The Elite and CMFTR went down the drain days after All In 2023, when Tony Khan fired The Second City Saint from the company.

Unfortunately, Tony was not able to capitalize on the real-life animosity between Punk and The Elite. If The Best in The World had remained with the promotion, the two sides might have eventually kept aside their differences to deliver a blockbuster feud.