Top AEW Stars Reportedly Pushing For CM Punk Not To Return

CM Punk's future with AEW still hangs in the balance since the infamous backstage incident following All Out in September. But, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, some of AEW's top stars apparently don't want to see the former world champion ever return with "several top guys" — including eight-time world champion Chris Jericho — telling the locker room they'll "make sure" Punk doesn't come back to the company.

Punk has been missing in action since winning the AEW World Championship at All Out. After being stripped of the title days later — as a result of the behind-the-scenes fracas — AEW has barely made a mention of Punk's existence. On the contrary, The Elite — Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks — have since returned to the ring, making their return at Full Gear — after time away for their role in whatever happened; post-All Out, The Elite were also stripped of their newly won Trios Championship. Ace Steel, who was involved in the backstage episode, was let go from the company. 

In late October, reports circulated that Jericho, a backstage producer and mentor for AEW, approached Punk following the All Out incident and told him that he's "cancer" to the locker room and a detriment to the company as a whole. However, those sentiments don't seem to be shared by all in the AEW locker room. Just this past week, AEW star Dax Harwood was among those to make a plea for Punk and The Elite to "please find a way to make it work" for the betterment of pro wrestling. Rumblings of a contract buyout being negotiated between AEW and Punk have made the rounds since September, but, if that is the case, there have been no indications that such a deal is imminent at the present time.