This past weekend, IMPACT Wrestling presented its Bound For Glory PPV in Chicago's Cicero Stadium. The event received even more buzz when the company announced plans to rebrand back to TNA Wrestling early next year, news which has been welcomed by the promotion's longtime fans.
Needless to say, there's a lot of intrigue surrounding what TNA has planned for this fresh start.
Before we get to that, you'll have no doubt heard that former AEW coach Ace Steel (a close friend of CM Punk's who was supposedly involved in the infamous "Brawl Out" incident) was working the event as a producer.
There had been talk of him actually wrestling in the Gauntlet For The Gold, though the idea was quickly shot down in an effort to avoid getting fans' hopes up that Punk might also make a surprise appearance. Well, the Best in the World wasn't at Bound For Glory because he was in attendance at the Blackhawks home opener.
However, it's since been reported that Punk was backstage for Impact Wrestling's AXS TV tapings the next day. He's said to have shown up shortly before cameras started rolling and was then taken to the locker room. There, he spoke with anyone who wanted to speak with him, including wrestling described as "key Impact talent."
No one was particularly fazed by him showing up as this isn't the first time it's happened, but speculation is now running wild that this could be a sign Punk plans to sign with TNA to help relaunch the company as part of its rebranding.
CM Punk walked out of WWE in 2014 and, after a brief stint in the UFC's Octagon, didn't step back into the squared circle until he made his AEW debut in 2021.
His time in the company was a ratings success but the Best in the World wasn't exactly welcomed by The Elite. Seemingly threatened by having to share the spotlight with a bigger star than them, all signs point to Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and "Hangman" Adam Page setting out to sabotage Punk.
Unable to keep his cool, Punk's frustrations ultimately boiled over, leading to the infamous "Brawl Out" incident and a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In this past August.
WWE has allegedly decided against signing Punk in time for this November's Survivor Series (which takes place in Chicago) so it's possible he's now looking to end his career in TNA. We'll have to wait and see.