Tony Khan's reputation reportedly in jeopardy due to 2-time WWE Champion's uncertain AEW future 

The situation with controversial former WWE star CM Punk and his AEW career may have taken another twist.

Punk has not been seen in a wrestling capacity since winning the AEW title from Jon Moxley at All Out. His actions later on in the press conference led to the backstage altercation with The Elite that has come to be known as 'Brawl Out'.

FTR's Dax Harwood made it clear recently that he wants to see Punk continue with AEW. Punk later poured fuel on the fire of speculation when he responded, "duh", to the comment aggregated on Instagram.

Dave Meltzer wrote in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter that their actions may put Tony Khan in a "bad position" with talent who don't want him to return. This is because he may feel the need to bring Punk back if business continues to suffer.

"The idea is it tells people Punk wants back in and creates the clamor from the fan base that he’s willing to return. As with everything over the last nine months, it puts Tony Khan in a very bad position with different talent...I think a lot depends on where business is in about five or six months when Punk viably could be back. If business is bad, the odds of Khan wanting him back are higher, especially with this being a contract year... In theory, the longer he’s out, the more the return means," - Dave Meltzer wrote.

Punk won the world title twice in 2022. Due to injuries sustained at the beginning of each reign, he only mustered one title defense. It came two weeks prior to All Out, with The Cult of Personality losing his lineal title to Interim Champion Jon Moxley.

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WWE legend Chris Jericho is said to have assured the roster he wouldn't allow CM Punk back

According to the report, there remain some on the roster who don't want CM Punk to return. While it's not clear who exactly shared this sentiment, the report at least claimed Punk's fellow WWE alum, Chris Jericho, had been one of the senior members of the roster to ensure he would not return.

"Several of the top guys, Chris Jericho being among them, told the rest of the locker room that they’d make sure Punk wasn’t brought back." - Meltzer wrote.

The entire situation has divided opinions. There are those who have sided with The Elite, including WWE veterans like Eric Bischoff who feel Punk shouldn't get a second chance. Others, like Jim Cornette, have opined that he was conspired against.

Would you like CM Punk to return to AEW or WWE? Share your thoughts in the comments below.