Jim Cornette denies 2-time WWE Money in the Bank winner facing any backstage heat after glaring omission from "RAW is 30" promo
WWE RAW's 30th Anniversary brought back nostalgia. The show featured several returning Hall of Famers and legends who played a pivotal role in carrying the flagship program into different epochs. However, CM Punk was a notable name missing from the show, and it didn't come as a surprise since he's still under contract with AEW.
Punk's omission from the "RAW is XXX" promotional video caught some fans off-guard. While The Straight Edge Superstar left the Stamford-based promotion on a sour note, he enjoyed tremendous success under that umbrella.
Whether it's his infamous pipebomb promo or 434-day reign with the WWE Championship, fans have fond memories of his time there.
Speaking on the Drive-Thru podcast, Jim Cornette explained why the company didn't leave stars like Chris Jericho and Bryan Danielson out of their video package:
"[CM] Punk is a different issue. With Danielson and Jericho, they know that Jericho has got a 10-year contract or whatever, he was kind enough to let everybody know about that. So it's not like that they are trying to say, "oh, all is forgiven! You can come home whenever you can get out of that madhouse," Cornette said. [1:18 onwards]
The wrestling manager thinks CM Punk's omission wasn't because of his heat with the previous regime but instead due to his ongoing situation with AEW:
"It may not show that there's heat with Punk. It may show that they don't want to get [involved]. A guy's in the middle of potentially what could be a legal situation. I don't know that they want to get any of that on him," he added. [2:30 onwards]
You can check out the full clip below:
Could CM Punk leave AEW for WWE?
CM Punk is adamant about not returning to WWE anytime soon. However, he has been teasing about heading back to his old stomping grounds ever since airing grievances with AEW at the All Out media scrum last year.
Recent reports have suggested that Tony Khan has put the Chicago native on ice and that there are no plans to release him from his contract.
Bring Back Cm Punk!!!
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Punk is currently recuperating from a torn tricep injury he suffered during his supposedly final bout against Jon Moxley at All Out. If his recent references towards AEW are any indication, he could be back with the Jacksonville-based promotion very soon.
If you use quotes from this article, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling and credit the Drive-Thru podcast.