CM Punk recalls meeting with Tony Khan before AEW launched

For weeks, fans have speculated about CM Punk potentially signing with AEW, but his first meeting with company president Tony Khan was back in 2019. At the time, AEW was still in the early stages of its development.

CM Punk has been away from professional wrestling since 2014. As the years have gone by, it seemed less likely that the Voice of the Voiceless would ever wrestle again. Despite his absence, CM Punk chants remain fairly common at wrestling shows. Now, the former WWE Champion might be on his way back to the ring.

Punk recently spoke to SNME about his first meeting with Tony Khan and how he was skeptical of any wrestling promotion looking to topple WWE. Instead of signing with the company in 2019, he took a "wait-and-see" approach. He explained that new companies should be focusing on themselves rather than hoping to beat WWE. (H/T: Fightful)

"I'm a guy who has constantly heard, 'I have a money guy. I have TV,'" said Punk. "I've gotten bounced checks from those gentlemen. You watched it happen, especially after ECW folded. Everybody was restarting ECW. It always seems like somebody is like, 'We're going to start up and compete with Vince.' I always thought that came from a bad spot."

"I more or less took a wait-and-see approach," Punk added. "I'm not interested in pro wrestling in that respect. We're here, we're talking about Heels, it could be bad luck that this role I got is set in the world of pro wrestling, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'm focused on being an actor."

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AEW could be the perfect place for CM Punk

CM Punk's biggest issue with WWE was the way he was booked, but AEW has built up a reputation for having a fun, inclusive backstage environment. The company is renowned for allowing wrestlers to have creative freedom with their characters.

This liberty is likely to appeal to Punk, a star who has been praised for his creativity in the past. Plus, there are plenty of first-time matches for him to have against the likes of Kenny Omega, MJF and Darby Allin.

I see five guys that have potential. Hobbs, Darbs, Pillman, Starks, Jungle Boy. And that’s not to say there are others, but those guys stick out.

— player/coach (@CMPunk) February 12, 2021

If the rumors are true, CM Punk debuting for AEW could be one of the most exciting moments in modern wrestling history.

Do you think Punk should have signed with AEW back in 2019? Would you be happy to see him work for the company now? Sound off in the comments below.