CM Punk’s possible second stint at the WWE became a topic of huge discussion after the former world champion was fired by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) earlier this month. WWE Hall of Famer and the current creative head of NXT Shawn Michaels has now said that he would ‘welcome’ Punk on his brand. During a conference for the media before No Mercy, the Heart Break Kid talked about the chances of Punk’s return to WWE.
“Well, of course we’d welcome him here in NXT. My guess is he probably would go to the main roster, but I always enjoyed working with Phil. I’ve always liked him, and I understand he’s a different kind of cat, and can sometimes be challenging to get along with people. But that’s probably why I like him, because I suffer from the same thing. But still, obviously that’s for people to decide higher up on the food chain than I am. He’s a guy that does numbers and makes money. I think that would be a risk-reward ratio that I’m sure from a company standpoint they’d have to consider,” Michaels said.
“But when it comes to would we take him in NXT and have him on our television? Are you kidding me, of course I would! I just don’t think anybody’d let me,” the 58-year-old added.
AEW fired CM Punk was announced ahead of the September 2 edition of Collision. The decision was reportedly taken after Punk, real name Phil Brooks, was involved in a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In pay-per-view event.
Punk made his debut on WWE’s relaunched ECW back in 2006. Thanks to his incredible fighting prowess and superb oratory skills, Punk soon established himself as one of the finest WWE performers. Punk went on to claim the ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships.
In his final WWE appearance, Punk featured in the Royal Rumble match on January 26, 2014. Punk capped off his glorious association with the company as a two-time WWE champion and three-time world heavyweight champion. After severing ties with WWE, Punk decided to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), competing in two UFC fights.
Punk decided to join AEW in 2021 before his career came to an abrupt halt suffering from a torn biceps during September last year. After recovering fully, the 44-year-old Chicago native returned to AEW in June. During his time at AEW, Punk succeeded to clinch the championship on two occasions.