Reports CM Punk could debut for All Elite Wrestling next Friday are pretty rife and have even made it to mainstream networks.
Darby Allin seemed to suggest he had a date with Punk during AEW Rampage this past Friday, claiming he wants to face the best in the world in a promo. This has led many fans to believe the former WWE superstar will show up at the United Center in Chicago.
The NFL Network has picked up on this and, during its recap of the preseason fixture between the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, NFL.com's Adam Rank suggested Justin Fields' Bears debut was the most anticipated in Chicago until news of what's set for Friday broke, that is CM Punk's arrival at AEW.
You could take a look at the clip right below:
Given that All Out is only three weeks away, it makes sense that Punk would show up for a debut next week. We will just have to wait and see.
Bounced Checks?
Punk, though, has continued to downplay the possibility of a move to AEW.
“Yeah, I talked to Tony,” he said to Saturday Night Main Event Podcast (H/T talkSPORT) in a recent interview. “You know, my perception on this, and I said this to Tony, to his face at that time… I’m a guy who has constantly heard, ‘Hey I got a money guy, hey I got TV.’
“I’ve heard that at least once or twice a year for 15-20 years of my wrestling career. I’ve gotten bounced checks from those gentlemen.
“You watched it happen, especially after ECW folded, it was everybody was re-starting ECW, everybody was going to be the ECW guys.
“There was a dude named John Collins, who did time in prison for bouncing checks, and it always seems like somebody’s gonna, ‘Oh we’re going to start up and we’re going to compete with Vince [McMahon],’ and I always thought that came from a bad spot because if you want to start up a pro wrestling company, I think you should always just focus on yourself.”