CM Punk must return and retire 5-time WWE Champion

CM Punk might not be part of the AEW roster at the time of writing, but bridges need to be mended as he could be the perfect person to retire a five-time WWE Champion.

On the most recent edition of AEW Collision, fans were excited to hear from the 'American Dragon' Bryan Danielson following his brutal Strap Match with Ricky Starks at All Out in Chicago.

Danielson admitted to the crowd and the fans at home that he doesn't have long left as a full-time wrestler, which was backed up by a Sports Illustrated report that stated Bryan could walk away from wrestling full-time in 2024 at the end of his AEW contract.

Bryan went on to call out Zack Sabre Jr. for a dream match at the upcoming WrestleDream pay-per-view in Seattle, but there are still so many dream matches on the table for the American Dragon, and one of them is with CM Punk.

Punk and Danielson's AEW careers have run parallel to each other since All Out 2021 when Bryan made his debut, but they never ended up crossing paths. However, Bryan has filled the Punk-shaped hole in All Elite Wrestling, which would be a perfect set-up for a match later on down the line.

Dragon filled in for Punk against Ricky Starks, he has essentially become the new face of Collision, and could even be seen as Tony Khan's most trusted employee, which would all set up a showdown over All In or All Out weekend in 2024.

A lot, and we mean A LOT would have to change in order for that to happen, and many fences would have to be mended before a CM Punk return is even considered. But a showdown between two of the greatest of all-time with a career on the line would be a no-brainer for AEW and Tony Khan.

CM Punk and Bryan Danielson have a long history with each other

Since their first documented meeting in 2004, CM Punk and Bryan Danielson have faced each other dozens of times. From independent events and house shows, to TV shows and pay-per-views, the two men have got a lot of history with each other.

During the 2000s, Danielson picked up three wins in three different companies over the Straight Edge Superstar, defeating him in ROH, IWA-Mid South, and FIP, respectively. However, Punk did defeat Bryan at an FIP show in 2005.

From there, their careers crossed paths multiple times in WWE. They feuded over the WWE Championship throughout 2012, with their rivalry even including AJ Lee, who would go on to be Punk's real-life wife since 2014.

The two men have even been tag team partners both in and out of WWE. They were regular partners during their time in WWE, especially in 2013, but they also teamed up for a match in Ring of Honor back in 2006, which at the time of writing was Punk's last official match in ROH.

Would you like to see CM Punk vs. Bryan Danielson one more time? Let us know in the comments section down below!