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CM Punk's return to WWE at last night's Survivor Series: WarGames event has shaken the wrestling world to its foundations. A new report has provided some reactions to the shocking moment from AEW's locker room.
CM Punk's time in All Elite Wrestling was tumultuous, to say the least. While he made several connections in the AEW locker room, his relationship with many of the Jacksonville-based promotion's talent and fans had soured before his release on September 2, 2023.
According to a new report from Wade Keller of PWTorch (via Wrestling Inc), one talent who didn't miss Punk in AEW opined that The Second City Saint would have an easier time in WWE. The reason given was that the Stamford-based company has a better leadership structure than All Elite Wrestling.
The talent in question stated that CM Punk would have a greater incentive to behave in WWE to prove that he was not the problem in the younger promotion.
It was also noted that the morale in AEW's locker room had improved since Punk's departure, which is something many wrestlers and fans seemingly hoped for after the dramatic events of the past year.
CM Punk is the first former AEW World Champion to sign with WWE
With competition comes talent trades, or so it was during the fabled Monday Night Wars of the late 1990s. However, the flow of talent between WWE and AEW has been a bit lopsided since the Jacksonville-based company's founding in 2019.
While All Elite Wrestling has snagged the likes of Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, Swerve Strickland, Adam Copeland (fka Edge), Saraya (fka Paige), and many more former WWE Superstars, the Stamford-based company has thus far only landed Cody Rhodes, Jade Cargill, Lexis King (fka Brian Pillman Jr.), and now, CM Punk.
Interestingly, Punk is the only one of these signings that has previously held the AEW World Championship. Although Cody Rhodes is a co-founder of Tony Khan's promotion and former member of The Elite, The American Nightmare famously booked himself out of ever winning the company's top title at Full Gear 2019.
Cargill, who was often billed as a future Women's World Champion, enjoyed a heavily protected run with the TBS Championship but ultimately left the young promotion without ever transitioning to the main event scene.
Who do you think will be the next former AEW World Champion to sign with WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
