CM Punk's status with AEW is again up in the air, according to some reports. Dave Meltzer has suggested that a portion of the locker room believes that Punk's refusal to continue talks after a disagreement has "screwed" Tony Khan.
Punk and AEW officials recently had another meeting and were allegedly gearing up to bring Ace Steel back into the fold. According to reports following AEW Collision's announcement, the promotion has refused to allow Steel back, which has upset CM Punk.
During the latest episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer claimed that some in the AEW locker room believe CM Punk's firm stance on Ace Steel's inclusion was a sleight at Tony Khan.
"There were people who thought this was the ultimate blow-up & [CM] Punk screwed Tony [Khan] on Tony's big announcement." (H/T: WrestlingNews)
While rumors continue to pile up, The Second City Saint recently took to Instagram to finally break his silence on the situation. While he didn't confirm his status, he seemingly criticized the wrestling community's 'toxic' relationship with him. He also urged fans not to believe everything they read.
Dave Meltzer believes fans will assume that CM Punk will return regardless of reports
While his return is yet to be announced or confirmed by AEW, some think that Kenny Omega recently referenced CM Punk in the closing moments of Dynamite. Due to this, there's a belief that the two could settle their differences and consider working together.
In the same episode, Meltzer explained that it wouldn't make sense for AEW to book Chicago's United Center for Collision's debut without CM Punk.
"The United Center is booked, but if there’s no Punk, do you go to a different arena? Do you go to the United Center without Punk? Because if you go to the United Center, everyone is going to assume, even if you announce him or not, that he’s going to be there." (H/T: WrestlingNews)
Rising up a baby during the CM Punk promo on Chicago was wild 💀 pic.twitter.com/wKQ8alvNJW
— Teffo (@Teffo_01) May 9, 2023
It remains to be seen if The Second City Saint will return to AEW during the show. But if his Instagram Story rant is to be believed, none of the reports seem as accurate as fans might have hoped.