"His x-ray came back on Friday" - AEW executive gives an update on CM Punk's injury

AEW founder and owner Tony Khan revealed that he was aware that CM Punk would not be able to compete at Forbidden Door.

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door witnessed an intriguing battle between Jon Moxley and Hoiroshi Tanahashi. The Blackpool combat Club member picked up the win in the end despite being busted open during the match and he became the AEW Interim World Champion. Tanahashi's match was initially set against CM Punk but Punk was medically not cleared to compete and was sidelined due to an injury. Jon Moxley competed as a replacement for Punk.

There was no confirmation on the exact type of injury the former WWE star suffered. Dave Meltzer in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter seemingly confirmed that Punk had undergone foot surgery.

In a recent conversation with The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski, Tony Khan stated that he predicted Punk's recovery time by looking at his X-ray report. He also professed that he had to alter a lot of the initial plans for the pay-per-view.

"I knew [CM] Punk was gonna need some time. His X-ray came back Friday and it wasn’t good. That’s when I had to jump into a plan with Mox [Jon Moxley] and the interim title and make a lot of changes to Forbidden Door.” (H/T - Wrestling Headlines)

CM Punk's first appearance after AEW hiatus announced

Much to the joy of fans, some positive news regarding CM Punk has emerged. The world champion's first public appearance since taking time off due to his injury has been confirmed.

In a press release by Warner Brothers Discovery, it was announced that the former WWE Champion will be present at the San Diego Comic-Con next month during AEW's panel.

The panel has been dubbed "AEW: Heroes & Villains" and will feature TBS Champion Jade Cargill, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, and BCC member Bryan Danielson. There has been no update on the date of the event.

As far as Punk's in-ring return is concerned, we will have to wait and see when that happens. However, it is reported that the AEW World Champion will have to face Jon Moxley when he returns, in a bid to unify the titles.