Former AEW star kept away from the ring at IMPACT Bound For Glory due to fear of CM Punk chants

CM Punk's next move in pro wrestling has been quite a controversial topic for the past few weeks. However, it seems like his name alone prevented another star from making his IMPACT Bound for Glory debut.

While many believe that CM Punk could be WWE-bound, there are a few fans who are of the opinion that he'll jump to IMPACT Wrestling instead. His old friend, Ace Steel, has notably been signed by the promotion but didn't appear on screen at the recent pay-per-view.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer confirmed the speculated reasons for Steel's exclusion from television during the show.

"Ace Steel (Chris Guy) worked as a producer on this week’s shows. There had been interest in him during the period between when he was first fired by AEW and hired back, but before the deal was made he was hired back to AEW."

"There was talk in putting him in the gauntlet match as a surprise, but the feeling was that it would lead to chants for CM Punk and since Punk wasn’t going to be appearing that wouldn’t be beneficial."

CM Punk recently commented on the rumors of his WWE return, and might just have debunked a debut at Survivor Series 2023.

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NWA owner Billy Corgan would go "hand-over-fist" to sign CM Punk

While many could see The Second City Saint return to WWE, debut in IMPACT Wrestling, or even re-sign with AEW, few see him jumping elsewhere. But could the veteran have another promotion in mind?

During an interview with Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast, Billy Corgan addressed the possibility of an NWA debut for Punk and whether he'd want to do it at all.

"Many, many people behind the scenes have asked me: should we make a play for Punk? The answer in terms of reaching out: no. Because I respect him a lot, he deserves top money, he's a top star. The NWA would go hand-over-fist to have Phil walk through the door and be a part of the NWA, even for a pay-per-view." [02:14 onward]

While an NWA debut seems to be out of the question, perhaps a WWE jump isn't as sure of a thing as many online seem to believe. Only time will tell, but it seems that The Second City Saint has many options on his hands.