"In a perfect world?!" - Batista once wanted a top AEW star to join The Judgment Day in WWE

While AEW has recruited many former WWE stars over the years, since 2022, fans have begun to clamor for some to return to the Stamford-based promotion. Once The Judgment Day was established in WWE, fans began making their dream pairings for the faction, and even Batista joined in on all the fun.

The Judgment Day initially drew criticism from some AEW fans due to some of the similarities between the stable and The House of Black. Despite this, many speculated on how the likes of Malakai Black could instead return to WWE to align themselves with the faction instead of continuing their tenure in All Elite Wrestling.

In response to the official WWE Instagram account sharing one of Edge's quotes at the time, The Animal made the surprising suggestion that The Second City Saint would be a good fit.

"In a perfect world?! CM Punk!" Batista commented.

Batista seems to see potential in this odd pairing.

Ironically, Edge would eventually be ousted from the faction, which now consists of Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio.

While similarities between The Judgment Day and the cult-like nature of The Straight Edge Society are likely what made Batista see the pairing work, it would be surprising to see the AEW star alongside the faction today.

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Multiple rumors are indicating that CM Punk's return to AEW is on

At the time that Batista made the suggestion for Punk to return to WWE, the controversial "Brawl Out Incident" was yet to happen. Shortly after The Second City Saint came to blows with The Elite, fans began to speculate how he'd be exiting the promotion to potentially return to WWE.

Now, regardless of all the rumors and bad blood backstage, it seems like CM Punk will reportedly be returning to All Elite Wrestling within the next few months. A recent report from Andrew Zarian of Wrestling Observer claims that Warner Bros. Discovery has already been informed of Punk's return.

"So the story here is that CM Punk's [return] is essentially happening. I know for a fact that Warner has been told that he's coming back," Zarian tweeted.

Fans wanting to see Punk back in WWE to continue his career there or even join forces with The Judgment Day will sadly have to continue holding their breath at this stage. It remains to be seen if the star will continue with the promotion after his contract expires, but he's seemingly not given up on AEW yet.