CM Punk was unceremoniously fired by AEW following a backstage altercation with Jack Perry which AEW President Tony Khan claims left him quaking in his boots and fearing for his life.
The Best in the World has yet to speak out on his release but rumour has it both he and WWE are extremely interested in him returning to the sports entertainment giant. Whether it will happen remains to be seen, though it would be a huge ratings draw for WWE and a potentially massive payday for Punk as he wraps up his career!
During a recent media call to hype up this weekend's No Mercy, WWE Hall of Famer and NXT's Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels shared his thoughts on possibly working with Punk.
"Of course, we’d welcome him here in NXT," he stated. "My guess is, he would probably want to go to the main roster. I always enjoyed working with Phil. Didn’t get to do it much. I understood him. Whether you want to say there were similarities in us. I can’t lie. We were at TV, and he once pulled out his wallet, on the spot, an autograph that I had signed for him in a hotel that he still had. I’ve always liked him."
"I understand he’s a different kind of cat and can sometimes be challenging to get along with people, but that is probably why I like him, because I suffer from the same thing. Obviously, that’s for people to decide higher up on the food chain than I am. He’s a guy that does numbers and makes money."
"That would be a risk-reward ratio that from a company standpoint, they’d have to consider," Michaels continued. "When it comes to, ‘would we take him in NXT and have him on our television?’ Are you kidding me? Of course I would. I just don’t think anybody would let me. Who wouldn’t take that kind of star power? I don’t know. If I get in trouble for that, I’ll let you know."
The fact someone in Michaels' position has given the thumbs up to Punk...well, that could end up meaning a lot. After all, HBK remains close friends with Triple H and now The Game is calling the shots in WWE with creative, it may be down to him whether we see the "Real" AEW Champion on RAW or SmackDown again.
Punk and Triple H are said to have put their differences aside recently so we're not discounting a possible return. Ultimately, it will boil down to whether WWE wants to take a risk on the popular pro wrestler!