It has only been about two months since CM Punk left AEW (against his will), but chatter about his pro wrestling future has not cooled down. Although rumors about his return to WWE have been debunked, fans are still speculating about a potential appearance at Survivor Series in his hometown of Chicago in November.
However, even without a company to work for, Punk is still making his presence felt behind the scenes. According to Haus of Wrestling, the former AEW World Champion attended the Impact Wrestling TV taping the day after Bound for Glory and was present in the locker room area. This was not his first time attending an Impact Wrestling taping, as he also attended one last April.
The report added that Punk spoke with anyone “who wanted to get some time with him,” including “key Impact talent.” Since he spent time backstage at a prior taping, his presence “did not faze any of the talent, as they were more used to his presence.”
It also noted speculation about Punk wrestling in the Gauntlet for the Gold since his friend, Ace Steel, served as a producer at the Impact Wrestling taping, but PWInsider said that it was quickly shut down to prevent false hope.
Basically, this is Impact Wrestling welcoming Punk to offer advice to other wrestlers. Nothing more, nothing less.
If that all sounded familiar, Punk attended the WWE Raw show in Chicago just before his AEW return earlier this year. The Impact Wrestling taping also transpired in the Windy City, but the WWE situation ended differently, as he was asked to leave the backstage area at the time.
Punk’s future will still be speculated about, whether it’s with WWE, Impact Wrestling (soon to be called TNA again) or another company. He remains one of pro wrestling’s hottest subjects, and this will continue until something definitive happens with the next stage of his career.