When Adam Copeland, aka Edge of WWE, made his debut in AEW at the end of WrestleDream, fans effectively watched in real time as he filled the spot abdicated by CM Punk following his firing after All In.

Now sure, technically, Punk and Copeland are kind of like apples and oranges, as the former is one of the true success stories of independent wrestling over the past 20 years, with a Ring of Honor resume alone that would make him an instant first ballot Hall of Famer, whereas Edge is a true product of the WWE system, but at this stage of the game, does it really matter? For better or worse, AEW really needed someone with mainstream name recognition to come in and help headline Dynamite and Collision episodes, and by all accounts, Copeland is the sort of positive veteran presence the locker room needs.

So, with a return to AEW basically off the table – which wasn't always the case, according to Dave Meltzer – what options are open to Punk if he wants to keep his wrestling career live? Well, if  Punk really wants to latch on somewhere, Shawn Michaels would happily welcome him to NXT if he was down.

“Well, of course, we'd love him here in NXT. My guess is he probably would want, you know, to go to the main roster, [which] would be my guess. I always enjoyed working with Phil. Again, didn't get to do it much, but I don't… I'll say this, I understood him,” Shawn Michaels said on the No Mercy media call via Wrestling Inc.

“He's a different kind of cat and, you know, could sometimes be challenging, to get along with people. But, again, I think that's probably why I like him because I suffer from the same thing. That's for people to decide that are higher up on the food chain than I am. He's a guy that does numbers and makes money, I think that would be a risk-reward ratio. I'm sure from a company standpoint they've had to consider. When it comes to, if we would take him in ‘NXT' and have him on our television, are you kidding me? Of course, I would. I just don't think anybody would let me.”

Alright, so would CM Punk actually show up in NXT? Would WWE, who admittedly have been trying to push more and more viewers to the developmental product over the past few months, consider placing one of the most compelling performers in the world of professional wrestling among a bunch of 20-somethings in Orlando? And would Punk even sign off on it? Goodness, as AEW fans learned all too well, if Punker doesn't like being somewhere, he isn't going to make it a very fun time for anyone.

At this point, I'd love to see it, even if it will probably never happen.

CM Punk in Impact Wrestling? Josh Alexander would love to see it.

Speaking of places where CM Punk could theoretically go after his fallout with AEW, there's a small but vocal segment of the wrestling fandom who would love to see the “Best in the World” work a proper run in Impact Wrestling, where he wrestled 27 matches from 2002 through 2004.

Asked about the prospects of Punk landing in the Impact Zone by WhatCulture, Josh Alexander let it be known that he would welcome the addition, as the “Chick Magnet” has the sort of star power needed to get more eyes on the promotion's product.

“CM Punk? Yeah, absolutely. I don’t think you can question the guy’s star power, his ability to get eyes on a product or a company,” Josh Alexander said via Fightful. “I saw Bully Ray recently say the exact same thing. You can say whatever you want [about him], but I wasn’t in those locker rooms seeing what had happened or transpired or the drama of everything that unfortunately occurred since his return, but I know who I am as a professional and an individual in this company and I think I would work synergistically with a guy like CM Punk. Of course, we’re both Bret Hart fans, so that might help. But I would love the opportunity to get in the ring with him, have a program with him in IMPACT Wrestling or anywhere else.”

Would it be cool to see Alexander, Eddie Edwards, and the rest of Impact's stalwarts wrestle CM Punk in Impact? Sure, there are plenty of very good wrestlers in Impact who could use a Punk-sized spotlight on their talents. Can Impact actually afford him? That… is another story entirely.