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CM Punk is set to be in a wrestling ring once again. If the rumors are true, the former WWE star will debut on AEW's Rampage show this Friday in Chicago. Punk hasn't wrestled since 2014, when he was part of WWE and walked away from the company.
But, the former WWE world champion is reportedly back in the pro wrestling game, which will help AEW compete with WWE even more in the weeks and months to follow.
CM Punk will have several known faces to compete with in AEW, many of whom he has wrestled with over the years, in indie promotions as well as WWE. Let's take a look at 12 AEW stars CM Punk has already wrestled with in WWE:
#12 Jake Hager (as Jack Swagger in WWE) vs. CM Punk
Jake Hager, who went by the ring name Jack Swagger in WWE, is currently a part of AEW, having joined the promotion in 2019. He is a member of Chris Jericho's Inner Circle faction.
CM Punk has wrestled with and against Swagger in WWE in singles, tag team, and multi-man matches. The last time the two superstars shared a ring together came in 2012 when Punk teamed with John Cena to face the team of Swagger and Dolph Ziggler.
#11 Matt Sydal (as Evan Bourne in WWE) vs. CM Punk
CM Punk and Matt Sydal, who went by the ring name Evan Bourne in WWE, had a few encounters with each other in various promotions even before joining WWE.
The two faced each other in WWE a handful of times, with their last appearance together in a match coming in 2011, when they were in a 12-man tag team match on RAW.
Sydal joined AEW last year after making his surprise debut at the All Out pay-per-view in September.
#10 Chavo Guerrero vs CM Punk
CM Punk and Chavo Guerrero had a few feuds in WWE, the most memorable of them being their feud for the ECW title. Guerrero won the title for the first and only time in 2008 in a No Disqualification match.
The last time CM Punk and Chavo Guerrero faced each other in the ring was in 2008 on ECW in a four-way match which also included Tommy Dreamer and John Morrison.
Guerrero debuted on AEW last month as the manager of AEW's new signing, former WWE star Andrade.
#9 Billy Gunn vs. CM Punk
CM Punk's final singles match in WWE was against Billy Gunn, which came in January 2014 on RAW, just a few days before his Royal Rumble appearance - his final WWE appearance.
CM Punk had teamed up with Billy Gunn and Road Dogg a few times in January 2014, facing The Shield on RAW.
Billy Gunn joined AEW in 2019 as a coach and occasional wrestler. His son Austin Gunn is also part of AEW and the two are in a faction called The Gunn Club.
#8 Matt Hardy vs. CM Punk
CM Punk had a memorable rivalry with Matt Hardy's brother Jeff, but also faced Matt in singles and tag team matches in WWE.
The last time CM Punk and Matt Hardy shared a ring was in 2010, when they wrestled for NXT Season 1. Their last singles match against each other was in 2009, in a Beat the Clock Challenge on SmackDown.
Matt Hardy debuted on AEW television in March 2020 after leaving WWE. A match between them in AEW could blow the roof off of the arena.
#7 Jon Moxley (as Dean Ambrose in WWE)
Jon Moxley is another star that CM Punk has faced a few times in WWE, during Punk's rivalry with The Shield. Moxley, who went by the ring name Dean Ambrose in WWE, was gaining prominence when Punk's WWE career was coming to an end.
CM Punk wrestled Ambrose several times in tag team matches, but the two had just two singles matches, both coming in December 2013. This is a potentially big feud for CM Punk in AEW, one that fans will be desperately hoping will happen.
#6 Dustin Rhodes (as Goldust in WWE) vs. CM Punk
CM Punk was also involved in a few matches with Dustin Rhodes, who went by the ring name Goldust in WWE, albeit them being tag team matches. Punk wrestled with Goldust a few times in multi-man matches in WWE, but they never went up against each other in a singles match.
Their matches together came in 2013, when Goldust and Cody Rhodes teamed up with CM Punk to face The Shield on one occasion.
#5 Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk
Cody Rhodes has faced CM Punk on a number of occasions in WWE, both in singles and tag team matches. They had even teamed together a few times in WWE.
The two even battled for the WWE World Tag Team titles back in 2008, when Rhodes teamed up with Ted DiBiase Jr. while CM Punk partnered with Kofi Kingston.
Punk and Kofi defeated Cody and DiBiase on RAW in 2008 to win the World Tag Team titles - Punk's only tag team title in his WWE run.
A matchup between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk is yet another mouthwatering prospect in AEW.
#4 Mark Henry vs. CM Punk
CM Punk and Mark Henry had a mini-feud for the WWE Championship in 2012 on RAW. Henry won two matches by disqualification, while the third match was won by Punk, helping him retain the title.
The two had faced each other a few times before that, when they met in ECW. CM Punk and Mark Henry were also involved in a couple of tag team matches in WWE.
Mark Henry is a coach and commentator on AEW, but he has suggested on a few occasions that he still has one match in him. Henry's last singles match came in 2017, when he faced Braun Strowman on RAW.
#3 Paul Wight (as Big Show in WWE) vs. CM Punk
Like Mark Henry, CM Punk also feuded with Big Show on a number of occasions in WWE. They were in a storyline together in 2012 when Punk held the WWE Championship and successfully defended his title several times.
They took part in another feud back in 2010 and a few matches before that in ECW as well.
Paul Wight, known as The Big Show in WWE, joined AEW in February 2021. He, like Mark Henry, is also a commentator on AEW television.
#2 Christian Cage vs. CM Punk
CM Punk and Christian, now known as Christian Cage in AEW, didn't have a long storyline in WWE and wrestled each other a handful of times. Both of them were a part of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match, while their last singles match against each other came in 2012.
Cage recently won the IMPACT World Championship from Kenny Omega and became the first wrestler to defeat Omega in the last two years. Christian Cage vs. CM Punk is another dream feud that AEW fans will be hoping to see in the near future.
#1 Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk
CM Punk's most well-known rival from WWE currently in AEW is perhaps Chris Jericho. Jericho and Punk had a few memorable feuds, the most notable of them leading to a WrestleMania match in 2012.
CM Punk and Jericho faced each other for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 28, where Punk retained the title.
The last singles match that Punk and Jericho had against each other came in 2013 at the Payback pay-per-view. AEW will surely run this feud once again when CM Punk joins the promotion.
