AEW News Roundup - Current WWE star happy with Punk's return, Legend says he was 'axed' after 3 shows, IG post potentially confirms next big signing (26th August 2021)

#4. Did CM Punk confirm Daniel Bryan's AEW signing?

CM Punk pretty much confirmed Daniel Bryan's impending AEW signing during this week's AEW Dynamite when he addressed the "YES" chants.

During an interview segment with Tony Schiavone, Punk responded to the chants and urged fans to be a little more patient regarding his former rival's reported debut. Here's the line that added fuel to the speculation of Daniel Bryan being AEW-bound:

"That's somebody else's shtick, and you might just need to be a little bit more patient, okay?" Punk said.

"It's a lot less about proving the haters wrong and it's more about proving myself right!" @CMPunk on why he needs to beat @DarbyAllin at #AEWAllOut on Sept. 5Tune into @tntdrama NOW to watch #AEWDynamite LIVE! pic.twitter.com/24XqhJJgE1

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 26, 2021

However, Punk was not done with the blatant hints, as he posted a throwback photo on Instagram after Dynamite. Punk released a cropped image of him shaking Daniel Bryan's hand from their match before they both signed with WWE.

You can check it out below:

A screengrab of CM Punk's Instagram story.

.@CMPunk posted a picture of him and Daniel Bryan on his IG 👀 pic.twitter.com/LdlMAynqCf

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) August 26, 2021

CM Punk and Daniel Bryan have had several memorable matches in the WWE, and the Cult of Personality's latest hints might be enough to validate reports of AEW's next major signing.

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#3. Mike Chioda on his desire to train AEW referees and being axed after three shows

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda appeared on the Such Good Shoot podcast and spoke about his desire to train AEW referees.

Chioda officiated a few matches at AEW after his WWE release in 2020, but has not returned to take up a full-time role. The legendary referee stated that while Cody Rhodes and many other veterans in the company vouched for him, Tony Khan has apparently never been high on referees.

Chioda claimed that Khan didn't want him to train and groom AEW's team of referees.

While Cody Rhodes wanted Chioda to appear on AEW pay-per-views, the referee stated he was 'axed' after working on three shows for the promotion.

Here's what Chioda revealed:

"Cody wanted me [in AEW], and there was a lot of guys that pushing for me like Taz, Jim Ross… a ton of guys," Chioda continued. "Tony Khan's not high on referees, bro. I mean, he didn't want me there to train them, and like Cody wanted me to do a lot of their PPVS, but they axed me after like three shows. That was it." H/t Cultaholic

Mike Chioda was also highly critical of the refereeing in AEW and shared his issues in detail, which you can read here.