Former WWE wrestler CM Punk was fired by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) earlier this month. Since then, speculations of Punk making a comeback to WWE have been rife. Punk’s return to WWE may baffle many but it should hardly come as a surprise, considering the 44-year-old’s illustrious association with the promotion.
WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff recently discussed Punk’s much-talked-about return to the wrestling promotion. While speaking on the Strictly Business podcast, Bischoff said Punk can return to WWE in order to finish his wrestling career on a high note.
“If I’m CM Punk and I wake up and have this conversation with myself, and I just look at the clock and the calendar and I go, ‘Wait a minute. I’ve got maybe three years left. I could really make a lot of money and go out on a high note, end my career on a positive note instead of this negative one.’ If Phil Brooks is the type of man that, first of all, recognizes it and realizes that he’s at least fifty percent responsible for it, if not more, the way he’s handled himself and conducted himself,” Bischoff explained.
“It could be really good. It could be great for WWE. It could be great for him if he’s willing to do that. If he’s not, then he’s just going to fade away and be a ‘cult’ wrestling star and nobody will remember him 10 years from now,” the 68-year-old added.
CM Punk’s association with AEW came to an end after he reportedly got involved in a scuffle with his fellow wrestler Jack Perry during the All In pay-per-view show at Wembley Stadium in London. “Following the investigation, the AEW Discipline Committee met and later convened with outside legal counsel before making a unanimous recommendation to [AEW owner Tony] Khan that CM Punk be terminated with cause,” read a statement shared by AEW on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Having stayed away from professional wrestling for around seven years, Punk had joined AEW in 2021. His association with AEW was marred by frequent injury issues. After dealing with torn biceps during his win against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out in September last year, Punk returned to the promotion in June 2023. Punk had defeated Moxley in that battle to become a two-time AEW champion.
Before joining AEW, CM Punk was a part of WWE. He has been WWE champion twice and the world heavyweight champion on three occasions. Punk also featured in UFC fights twice since leaving WWE back in 2014. Punk was contracted under WWE from 2005 to 2014.