To say that CM Punk has had a tumultuous last nine months is a little like saying the Canadian wildfires that recently turned skies an apocalyptic haze in New York City were throwing off a little smoke.
Almost every pro wrestling fan knows the genesis of the turmoil: Immediately after winning the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley at All Out last September, Punk went off on his co-workers — some of whom happen to also be AEW EVPs — in an expletive-laced press conference appearance.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that led to reported backstage fisticuffs. People were suspended, though AEW never officially said they were. The title was stripped from Punk, even though it probably would have been anyway since he also hurt himself during the All Out match. He hasn’t wrestled since.
In the time since all that transpired, there have been numerous reports from outlets with sources close to Punk and/or The Elite about how everything would all be resolved. AEW itself finally answered some of those questions when it revealed Punk would be on the debut episode of its new Saturday show, AEW: Collision. He’s expected to be the top name on the series going forward.
But Punk is also 44, and has had trouble staying healthy during his stint in AEW. While he waited to see how his fate would play out during his recovery, did he ever consider just walking away from all of it and calling it a career?
As part of a highly anticipated interview with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, he said no.
I certainly had some low moments, and I won’t rule out in those fleeting moments where I just say, ‘Ah, f— this, whatever. But I don’t ever think it was a serious intention to say that I’m done. There’s still work to do, and I think I’m excited about a lot of stuff that’s coming up. So, to just throw the baby out with the bathwater, just because of a little boo-boo, I think would be a little silly.
Whether AEW ever came close to making that decision for him is a question that may not be answered for a long time, given how quiet the company has been about the entire ordeal and that lawyers are apparently involved. But on the verge of what will be a surreal moment when Punk grabs a microphone on the premiere of Collision this Saturday, it’s worth noting that it’s one Punk seems he knew would arrive.