As was noted earlier via The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are talks going on in regard to AEW buying out CM Punk’s contract.
Several weeks ago, Wade Keller reported that things seemed to be leaning towards Punk not returning and having his contract brought out and things seem to still lean in that direction. Dave Meltzer said that the hold up on those negotiations is the non-compete period. If Punk had no desire to wrestle elsewhere then one would think that a non-compete wouldn’t be a big issue for him.
Meltzer added, “Obviously if the non-compete is an issue, it’s about interest in going to WWE because there’s no need for a non-compete otherwise because nobody else but AEW and WWE can pay him close to what he was making.”
While there are people in WWE who are negative on him, he does have friends there and he is too big of a name to not consider having talks with. However, it is not a lock that WWE would take him because they had an opportunity to do so when FOX pushed for them to sign him a few years ago when he was doing the Backstage show on Fox Sports 1.
Meltzer added that nobody in WWE has had contact with Punk or the recently-released Ace Steel but Punk is very close to Adam Pearce and was extremely close with Paul Heyman and Heyman is someone that higher-ups “seem to listen to a lot.”
