CM Punk Reportedly Pitching Match With Samoa Joe For AEW Return

CM Punk is on his way back to AEW, and it appears he is angling to face someone he hasn't since 2005 — Samoa Joe. According to Fightful Select, the former AEW World Champion has been pitching for nearly a month to have a match with Joe as sources close to Punk claim he's become increasingly interested in that option. 

Despite both men being on the same roster in 2022, Punk and Joe have not crossed paths in the squared circle since their Ring of Honor days. Additionally, Joe has not appeared on AEW programming since Revolution in March after losing the TNT Championship, but has been active on ROH programming as the reigning ROH World Television Champion.

The Joe news comes after reports of pitches for Punk to face Chris Jericho, who he supposedly had a productive meeting with recently in Florida. Following that meeting, it was said that Punk and Jericho were open to working with each other again despite their publicized differences. While AEW has not officially announced Punk's return, by all accounts he is expected to be featured on the forthcoming "AEW Collision" show. With that being said, it has not been made clear whether these pitched matches against Jericho or Joe would be one-offs or the start of a longer program.

AEW is expected to reveal more details surrounding "Collision" at the Warner Brothers-Discovery Upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden's Hulu Theater in New York City on Wednesday. The new show is rumored to air on Saturday nights and may introduce a soft brand split.