AEW manager seemingly confirms CM Punk's departure from promotion

AEW manager Stokely Hathaway has seemingly let the cat out of the bag regarding CM Punk's potential future in the company.

The former AEW World Champion hasn't been seen on TV since his verbal tirade at the All Out post-show media scrum. It was then followed by an alleged backstage altercation with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.

While the fate of everyone involved in the "Brawl Out" incident has seemingly been disclosed to the public, CM Punk's future is still up in the air. He is still on the sidelines with an injury, meaning that if AEW fires him, it could become a major legal issue.

But does one member of the AEW roster know more than the others? On The Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast, Stokely Hathaway spoke about his faction, The Firm. He also added how plans for the group had been scrapped because a certain someone wasn't with the company anymore.

"Everything that was supposed to happen with The Firm did not happen. Back at All out, what happened immediately after the pay-per-view, that was a huge part of it. [The person] we were supposed to directly feud with is no longer in the company." (H/T Cultaholic).

Hathaway's comments about CM Punk leaving the company were backed up by the former stating that Punk verbally requested to work with him at one point.

“That was one thing I was looking forward to because I was hand-chosen for that role. I’m just going to say it. I don’t know the specifics about people choosing sides. I just know that CM Punk said ‘hey, I want to work with this guy.’ That means a lot, regardless of what has happened." (H/T SEScoops).

CM Punk was reportedly supposed to reignite his feud with MJF following All Out 2022

Due to everything that happened after All Out, it's easy to forget that the pay-per-view ended with MJF's blockbuster return. Upon his comeback, he vowed to take the AEW World Championship away from CM Punk.

Stokely's group assisted MJF in winning the Casino Ladder Match earlier in the night, helping the latter earn a shot at the world championship. Punk won the coveted title from Jon Moxley later in the night.

The idea was to have Punk and MJF feud heading into the Full Gear pay-per-view. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer suggested that the plans had changed due to the "Brawl Out" incident.

If Punk leaves, will you miss him? Let us know in the comments section down below.