AEW & CM Punk Reportedly in Talks for Contract Buyout

As noted before, CM Punk, Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks’ Matt and Nick Jackson were involved in a backstage fight incident following AEW’s All Out 2022 event this past September. Following the incident, AEW suspended all of them for an indefinite period of time, as well as several others who recently had their suspensions lifted. Steel was released earlier this week by the company over his involvement in the backstage incident.

Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that his sources stated that AEW officials and CM Punk have been in recent talks regarding a potential contract buyout. Those spoken to reportedly stated that the main hold-up currently involves the terms for the non-compete period. Meltzer speculated that the reason for the non-compete terms is due to AEW likely believing that WWE would sign Punk once he enters the market since Paul “Triple H” Levesque is currently on a signing spree for surprise debuts and returns on WWE programming.

In regards to the current backstage locker room mood towards Punk, Meltzer reported that it has become decidedly anti-Punk over the past several weeks due to their issues with Punk’s promo on Hangman Adam Page at the August 17th AEW Dynamite show and his behavior during the All Out 2022 post-show media scrum.

In regards to WWE, Meltzer reported that his sources within the company stated that WWE officials have not had any recent contact with Punk nor Ace Steel for potential deals with the company.

In a lighter note, Meltzer also reported that AEW’s third party investigation has not spoken to Punk’s dog Larry, who was among those involved in the backstage fight incident.