Since taking power, Triple H has brought in several formerly released stars. While that wouldn't have happened without the approval of Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, The Game has been cited as the reason for these returns. Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell addressed the possibility of WWE bringing CM Punk back.
As you may know, the Second City Saint's status with AEW is in a state of limbo. Following the backstage brawl at the All Out media scrum, Punk reportedly alienated the locker room due to his dispute with The Elite.
The latest reports have suggested that Tony Khan will side with The Elite and not Punk. This means that the All Elite President will have to pay CM Punk a buyout clause for the remainder of his contract.
It has been well documented that Triple H and CM Punk have had issues with each other dating back over a decade. On the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk, Dutch Mantell told Sid Pullar III that he thinks The Game will prevent the seven-time World Champion from ever returning to WWE.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
"Triple H is going to stop CM Punk from ever setting foot in WWE. And they [WWE] don't need him. If this had been three months ago, they needed everything three months ago. But they kind of filled those gaps in and I don't think there's any need for CM Punk." (9:06-9:31)
You can watch the full video below:
Triple H can't influence the CM Punk-AEW conflict
Triple H is unlikely to have any role in the investigations that are set to conclude. On the same episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk, Dutch Mantell stated that the longer the negotiations go on between CM Punk and AEW, the bigger a lawsuit he is likely to file:
"But I don't think we'll see him there. The longer these talks [AEW negotations] go on with Punk, the greater the lawsuit from his side. And I think they'll end up paying a bunch of money to get rid of him." (9:32-9:50)
It should be noted that the latest report stated that no legal action has been taken from either side, and The Elite are reportedly not keen on pressing charges against Punk.
If you take any quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.