CM Punk's opponent for rumored WWE WrestleMania 39 plans revealed - Reports

New reports have shed light on CM Punk's alleged interest in a WWE return at the 2023 Royal Rumble. There was even a rumored WrestleMania 39 match against Kevin Owens if the comeback happened.

AEW terminated Punk's contract on September 2 due to a backstage incident involving Jack Perry as well as Tony Khan. It was Punk's second major incident in less than a year, with his backstage brawl against the company's EVPs making headlines last year.

According to Fightful Select via TJR Wrestling, Punk reportedly wanted to return to WWE back in December and was even looking to participate in the Royal Rumble earlier this year. It should be noted that these are just rumors, and there's no confirmation from WWE's end if they were interested.

The report also noted that there was speculation regarding Kevin Owens being the one to eliminate Punk at the Royal Rumble. That scenario would have led to an Owens-Punk match at WrestleMania 39, possibly in the main event of Night 1.

Owens did end up main-eventing Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 with Sami Zayn. They defeated The Usos to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships in a very emotional match in Los Angeles.

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Who has a say in WWE if CM Punk wants to return?

CM Punk's tenure with WWE ended on a sour note in 2014, but he reportedly tried to make amends when he was backstage at RAW this past April in Chicago, per Fightful. With Punk likely free to sign elsewhere, a return to WWE is not impossible.

Better Wrestling Experience (@BoozerRasslin) reported that Vince McMahon is busy with bigger projects and likely won't deal with Punk. However, if Triple H wants to work with him again, Nick Khan will decide if the company will bring him back.

CM Punk remains a popular figure in wrestling despite all his controversies in the past two years. With the product booming at the moment, there are some big-money feuds for him if he returns to WWE.

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Would you like to see CM Punk return to WWE after nine years? Share your thoughts in the comments section.