Possible spoiler on CM Punk's AEW return date - Reports
CM Punk has not been seen on AEW television since All Out 2022, and fans have questioned his status with the promotion since. However, according to Dave Meltzer, Punk is already scheduled to return in the next few months.
Few fans believed the star would ever return to AEW after news broke about the Brawl Out Incident and Punk's injury. Additionally, once The Elite returned and took numerous shots at the star, many believed that AEW had firmly chosen the trio over CM Punk, but that seemingly was never the case.
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Second City Saint will triumphantly return on the 17th of July, which notably falls on a Saturday.
“As things stand right now, the return of CM Punk is scheduled for a 6/17 show at the United Center in Chicago, which being a Saturday night show, is likely the debut of the new weekly show.”
New Observer says Punk was extremely important to getting AEW a new Sat show from WB (Some saying the deal was incumbent on his return) and Dave theorizes that if WB even pays AEW their median rate for prime-time programming, it'd net AEW an extra 52 mil a year. WO HOF Punk up.
With CM Punk ushering in the rumored Saturday show, reports of a roster split are far more likely. It's also rumored that Chris Jericho will be the first star Punk feuds with upon his AEW return, which could potentially draw more eyes to the show.
Missed out on last week's AEW Rampage? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
Jim Cornette believes that Brandon Cutler was instructed to sow division between CM Punk and the AEW roster
In a now-deleted quote retweet, Brandon Cutler responded to a Deadspin article targeting Punk and claiming that he has been "gaslighting AEW." Due to Cutler's known allegiance to The Elite, many fans panned him online, especially since the article he responded to wasn't well-received.
Brandon Cutler, of all people
Don’t bring back Punk, or listen to people that may know what they’re talking about. Go draw money with Brandon Cutler instead. https://t.co/RojA7orRzy
The veteran manager notably caught wind of Cutler's actions, and during a recent episode of the Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru podcast, he slammed the star for his actions.
"Brandon Cutler should be fired on general principle. He never should have been hired in the first place. IHe wouldn't have done that had he not been instructed to by his, you know, executives, his bosses? He doesn't work for Tony Khan. He works for [The Young Bucks]," Cornette said. [01:54 onwards]
The veteran even suggested that The Young Bucks should be fired alongside Cutler for what he described as throwing "another monkey wrench" in Tony Khan's efforts to get CM Punk back into AEW. But with rumors of his return, The Elite's alleged attempt to sow division has seemingly not affected Punk's return.