CM Punk wanted to come back to WWE at Royal Rumble 2023 and face former champion at WrestleMania: Reports
Former AEW Superstar CM Punk has had a rough year, which started with All Out 2022, where he famously got involved in a brawl with The Elite. Punk was recently involved in an altercation with Jack Perry backstage during All In, which took an obnoxious shape. This resulted in Tony Khan terminating his contract and firing him from the promotion.
However, new reports are suggesting that Punk might have already shown interest in leaving AEW before his contract expired. Fightful Select reported that CM Punk wanted to come back to WWE at the Royal Rumble 2023. The plan was for Punk to return to the Rumble and feud with the person who eliminated him from the match. They would proceed to the main event on Night One of WrestleMania 39. The top name that was considered for the role was former Universal Champion Kevin Owens.
That would have been a dream match for fans, as Kevin Owens is a top star in the company. These plans never came to fruition, as Punk stayed and returned to AEW programming in June 2023. However, now that Punk is no longer employed by AEW, he can return to WWE if everything works out.
A rumored idea for a CM Punk return to WWE was that Punk wanted-to/would return at the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble & proceed to MAIN EVENT Night One of WrestleMania with the person who’d eliminate him in the Rumble.
Word within WWE was Kevin Owens’ name being thrown around for that.…
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) September 4, 2023
The chances of CM Punk returning to the WWE are slim. Nonetheless, nothing can be said for sure, as numerous superstars have returned to the Stamford-based promotion after years of disputes. Therefore, fans can still hope to see the Second City Saint back in WWE after almost a decade.
Related: Vince McMahon once publicly apologized to CM Punk after firing him from WWE in an insensitive manner
Top WWE stars do not want CM Punk back in WWE
Now that CM Punk has been terminated from AEW, fans are speculating if and when Punk might return to WWE. Despite all the problems, Punk is undoubtedly a top star for any promotion. Therefore, Fightful Select is reporting that even if WWE brings in Punk, a few stars might not be happy with the decision.
It is being reported that Punk still has “major heat” with a few top stars in WWE. He was asked to leave backstage when he showed up on the April 24th episode of Raw in Chicago this year. Therefore, if he comes back to WWE, he might have to settle some scores backstage before coming to the ring.
Tony Khan has fired CM Punk and since then it has been a buzzing topic among wrestling fans. With Punk not having any non-compete clause, he is free to walk into any promotion at any time. Fans will have to wait and see if WWE decides to bring Punk back and sort out the problems he has with the locker room.
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