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Although it has been speculated for months and officially known for the last few weeks, Saturday will be a landmark and truly improbable day in wrestling history. The polarizing and transcendent CM Punk officially returns to AEW.
Throwing the word “improbable” around can seem silly in an industry that is known for mixing personal strife into a storyline if there is a way to generate buzz and a lot of revenue. But Punk found himself entangled in a powder keg of a situation that few initially believed he would survive.
The self-proclaimed Best in the World and two-time AEW World Champion infamously broke character and called out popular faction and company EVPs The Elite in a post-pay-per-view media scrum last September. It was awkward, tense and culminated with a physical altercation in the locker room. A return was not possible without reconciling with AEW president and CEO Tony Khan.
“The first thing I said to Tony when I sat down with him and spoke to him after it was, ‘Man, I'm really sorry I put you in that position,'” Punk told ESPN's Marc Raimondi in the wrestler's first public interview since the incident. “I apologize for the scrum.”
The cause of Punk's ire revolved around his personal conflict and legal dispute with fellow AEW employee Colt Cabana being aired out and questioned on live television. His skirmish with The Elite dominated headlines and loomed over the company for months. It will come rushing back into the atmosphere with CM Punk returning to action. He is downplaying it, though.
“I don't think what happened was a big deal,” he said. “This has happened in the last 10 months in hockey, in basketball, in baseball, in just about every sport. And it's covered and it's gone the next day.”
While everyone wants to see a feud between the Punk and The Elite, there are other things currently standing in the way. For one, the Chicago native is coming back to be the face of AEW Collision, Khan's much-anticipated Saturday show that could elevate the company's stock immensely if everything goes well.
That means the injury-prone Punk will need to stay healthy and away from the line of fire. Regardless of how successful or long this reunion lasts, Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on TNT will be must-see viewing for anyone who craves entertainment.
