Photo: CM Punk poses with former AEW stars backstage after his WWE Bad Blood win
WWE Bad Blood saw CM Punk end his rivalry with Drew McIntyre. The violent Hell in a Cell match opened the show and went almost thirty-two grueling minutes. Punk was in good spirits after the bout, as he took time to pose with several legends and former AEW colleagues.
The Second City Saint shocked the pro wrestling world when he returned to the sport in August 2021 for AEW. CM Punk's controversial All Elite run ended 744 days later, but he pulled an even bigger shocker almost two months later by returning to the Stamford-based company last November. The ROH Hall of Famer has remained friends with several of his former co-workers in All Elite Wrestling, including a few Hall of Famers.
Diamond Dallas Page was backstage at State Farm Arena for Saturday's Bad Blood Premium Live Event, along with Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and others. DDP and the Four Horsemen members live near Atlanta and have pre-WCW ties to the area. Page took to X/Twitter today to share a few photos from the PLE, including one shot of the only AEW Real World Champion with The Brain Busters.
Positively Page had immense praise for Triple H and the rest of the company, noting that the WWE legends were fairly busy. He also said this was the first WWE premium live event he truly enjoyed from beginning to end. DDP's lengthy statement with photos can be seen below.
Anderson and Blanchard are both no longer with AEW. Tully debuted in July 2019 and was sent to ROH in 2022. The NWA and WWE Hall of Famer left at the end of this past August.
Arn debuted in August 2019 as Cody Rhodes' personal advisor and head coach. He signed a multi-year deal months later to work behind the scenes and on-screen, but left when he let his contract expire back in May.
CM Punk almost quit wrestling after AEW
CM Punk spent more than seven years away from pro wrestling, for the most part, after walking out on WWE in 2014. He made a blockbuster comeback for AEW in August 2021 but left two years later amid controversy.
Speaking on the premiere episode of No-Contest Wrestling, the WWE RAW Superstar was asked if he thought of moving on to other outlets after AEW cut him in September 2023.
"When I left WWE in 2014, people can argue very much so in bad faith that, 'Oh he didn't love the business because he didn't go work the indies.' What was I gonna do? It's also the part of who's gonna pay me? Oh yeah, like, go back and work for 60 bucks? I'm married now... When I exited AEW, I probably did think 'Okay, I was done.' Because that happened in August or September. And then I'm just like kinda chilling, and then Nick Khan calls me in November," CM Punk said. [From 30:28 to 31:46]
This November's WWE Survivor Series: WarGames PLE will mark one year since The Straight Edge Superstar returned to the Stamford-based company. CM Punk is rumored to begin a new rivalry soon now that he defeated Drew McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell.