3-time WWE Champion says facing CM Punk in AEW will be "bizarre"
CM Punk returned to professional wrestling in 2021 after seven years of hiatus when he debuted on AEW Rampage. Since his debut at the Jacksonville-based company, Punk has had some memorable rivalries and matches with veterans and up-and-coming stars alike, and within a year, he became the AEW World Champion.
The Straight Edge Superstar was absent from AEW programming since September 2022 due to an injury and after a controversial press conference following the All Out Pay-Per-View, which led to a backstage brawl. The Best in the World returned to All Elite Wrestling last month on the debut episode of Collision and is now looking at fresh opponents to strengthen his legacy.
During a conversation with Muscle Man Malcolm, Jeff Hardy was asked if he would like to work with CM Punk again. Hardy replied he hadn't thought about it yet, but also stated that based on the history between the two former WWE Superstars, the moment they come face to face will be huge.
"Yeah, I haven't thought about a match that much, I mean, I have a little bit, I just think what I've seen more than anything is there's just a huge moment between me and CM Punk, because of the history alone," said Hardy.
Jeff Hardy added that he would like to have a match eventually with Punk, and it will be bizarre in the best ways:
"Ultimately, I could see us having another match and I think it would bizarre in the best of ways."
It has been more than 13 years since the two veterans faced off each other in the ring, and their next meet will be fun to watch.
Back in 2009, Jeff Hardy had a memorable rivalry with CM Punk in WWE. The two stars fought over the World Heavyweight Title at that time. Punk won the belt at Extreme Rules 2009 by cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Hardy, who had just defeated Edge to win The Big Gold Belt for the first time.
The Straight Edge Superstar successfully cashed in his contract and walked out of the pay-per-view with the title. Punk and Hardy fought over the belt for the next two months, and the championship changed hands twice. Their rivalry ended in a steel cage match during an episode of SmackDown in August 2009 with Hardy's career on the line. Ultimately the Chicago star won the bout, and Jeff left the company.
CM Punk is currently embroiled in a rivalry with Ricky Starks
The Voice of the Voiceless is currently working on AEW Collision, and he recently lost the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament to Ricky Starks, who used unfair means to get a pinfall victory over Punk.
In the recent episode of Collision, the team of Punk and Darby Allin faced Ricky Starks and Christian Cage. Starks scored a victory for his team with a pinfall over Darby in a similar fashion as he did in Owen Hart Tournament final.
The two AEW stars are now embroiled in a rivalry, and things will get more intense as we move forward.