CM Punk hasn’t been seen since his AEW All Out press conference, where he slammed Colt Cabana, Hangman Adam Page, and the AEW EVPs. Later, he got into a backstage brawl with Kenny Omega, Ace Steel, and The Young Bucks.
He also tore his left triceps while performing a tope earlier in the night during his World Title match with Jon Moxley. The average time needed for recovery is between six and eight months. AEW President Tony Khan also stripped Punk of the championship.
Everyone involved was suspended. Steel was released by AEW earlier this week, as previously reported.
In the most recent issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that AEW is in talks with Punk about his future, but it appears unlikely that he will return to the promotion.
Meltzer stated, “Those with close knowledge of the situation said they are in talks with Punk about a buy-out of the remaining years of his contract, which tells you that they are not looking to bring him back.”
Punk was not expected to return to the promotion, according to Wade Keller of the PWTorch, and a contract buyout was likely.
According to the report, the holdup is now the non-compete period of the buyout. Since there is a non-compete clause, it would be about WWE potentially being interested in Punk; otherwise, there would be no need for one, as no other promotion could afford to pay Punk what he was being paid in AEW.
Neither side has commented on the possibility of Punk’s contract being bought out, but neither has made any effort to deny this report.
In terms of how the AEW locker room considers Punk, the sentiment was overwhelmingly negative.
Meltzer stated, “The sentiment of those in AEW among most talent, not all talent, was decidedly anti-Punk, between the television promo on Page, who is overall very popular with the talent, the scrum where he said Page had never done anything in the business which was taken as saying AEW means nothing in wrestling.”
Due to an ongoing third-party investigation into the fight, no one has publicly commented on it.
