Highlights
- CM Punk's recent firing from AEW leaves his future uncertain, but opens the door for a potential return to WWE and dream matches with stars like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
- Punk's independent wrestling background and his popularity make matches with Gunther, LA Knight, and other rising stars appealing options for his potential comeback.
- The long-awaited showdown between Punk and AJ Styles, as well as feuds with Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, and even Logan Paul, could be exciting and highly anticipated matchups for wrestling fans.
CM Punk is once again the hottest free agent on the planet after being fired from Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling on September 2, 2023. The future of CM Punk is currently up in the air as "The Best In The World" has yet to comment on the situation as of this writing. However, Punk's free agency technically opens the door for him to once again do business with the WWE for the first time since 2014.
CM Punk remains one of the most popular superstars in the entire world of professional wrestling and the WWE Universe has consistently chanted his name for the better part of a decade since he left the company. With a stacked roster, there are plenty of dream matches that could potentially take place if Punk can mend bridges and come back for one final run. Without further ado, here are 10 matches that we would absolutely love to see if CM Punk returns to WWE!
10 CM Punk Vs. Seth Rollins
CM Punk and Seth Rollins are two veterans of the independent circuit, both of whom achieved massive amounts of success when wrestling for Ring of Honor throughout the 2000s. Unfortunately, Punk and Rollins never got the chance to give the fans the ROH dream match as by the time Rollins, as Tyler Black, made his ROH debut in 2007, Punk was already signed to a WWE contract.
Punk and Rollins did wrestle each other on a number of occasions during their WWE tenures, but they have only worked together in a singles match on one occasion which took place on an episode of Raw on December 20, 2013.
There does appear to be legitimate heat between Seth Rollins and CM Punk, considering the comments Rollins made in an interview with WrestlingInc in January 2023, telling CM Punk to stay away from him and stay away from the WWE, calling him a 'cancer'.
However, despite their seemingly legitimate beef, it has to be said that a full-blown program between Seth Rollins and CM Punk is the stuff of dreams for wrestling fans. These two stars have the charisma, the in-ring skills, and the star power to put on one of the most memorable feuds in a generation if they can bury the hatchet and do business together following a Punk return to WWE.
9 CM Punk Vs. Gunther
"The Ring General" Gunther is well on his way to becoming recognized as one of the most important Intercontinental Champions of all time. Restoring an insane amount of prestige to the iconic championship, Gunther has been almost unstoppable since his call-up to the main roster back in 2022.
Much like Punk, Gunther is a veteran of the independent circuit and one of the hardest-hitting members of the WWE roster. Punk of course is very familiar with the independent style of wrestling, being one of the men responsible for making it such a popular style among wrestling fans back in the day.
Gunther could be compared in size, stature, and wrestling style in many ways to Samoa Joe, who is of course one of CM Punk's greatest opponents. The 'Joe Vs. Punk' trilogy from the 2000s was the stuff of legend, and the two recently played it back with a series of awesome matches in Tony Khan's AEW.
If there's a free agent out there today who could challenge Gunther's incredible reign as Intercontinental Champion and help him rise to further heights of success, it is CM Punk. A 'Punk Vs. Gunther' grudge match for the Intercontinental Championship would certainly not be one to miss.
8 CM Punk Vs. LA Knight
The sudden rise to prominence and popularity of LA Knight in the WWE right now could quite easily be compared to CM Punk's first big run on Raw back in 2008. Back then, CM Punk was igniting arenas with pops and chants not dissimilar to what LA Knight is experiencing right now.
What you would have in this feud is two outspoken superstars who are not only naturally gifted on the microphone, but who are genuinely two of the best talkers in the entire world. They are also possibly on the verge of hitting equal footing in terms of popularity.
Not only would a program featuring CM Punk Vs. LA Knight give some absolutely jaw-dropping promo battles, but it would also dramatically help Knight further his rapidly growing star power on his journey to the main event scene in WWE while helping Punk once again become established as a member of the WWE roster.
We would be looking at a WrestleMania main event quality feud if these two microphone megastars ever had the opportunity to meet face-to-face in the middle of a WWE ring and verbally tear each other apart.
7 CM Punk Vs. Roman Reigns
Much like the case with Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns had yet to begin his run as a true WWE main eventer when CM Punk was on top of the world in WWE. Reigns was a member of the now-iconic Shield faction for the majority of the time he shared the roster with CM Punk.
Punk and Reigns have met in singles competition on one occasion, but this was in the midst of Punk's exit from the company and as such, the match did not live up to the expectations at the time. Not to mention, Reigns wasn't a legitimate main-eventer at the time, either. Today, however, a CM Punk Vs. Roman Reigns match has the potential to main event a WrestleMania given the huge presence and star power of both athletes.
These days, Roman Reigns is the undisputed franchise player in the WWE and one of the most popular superstars in the entire world of professional wrestling. Reigns has been a featured superstar in what could be described as the best storyline on WWE TV in a generation, The Bloodline saga.
CM Punk has publicly praised Roman Reigns on several occasions in the past and appears to be a big fan of The Tribal Chief. Punk also threw up Roman Reigns' hand gesture at the end of his final match in AEW at All In: Wembley, further fueling speculation that Punk is on the hunt for a WWE return and a feud against Roman Reigns.
6 CM Punk Vs. AJ Styles
CM Punk Vs. AJ Styles is among one of the biggest matches to never happen on a grand stage. At the beginning of their careers and during the initial rise of independent wrestling following the demise of WCW, Punk and Styles did in fact meet on a number of occasions in several awesome matches back in 2003 and 2004, and then their paths never crossed again.
While Punk was putting butts in seats for WWE and becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, AJ Styles was doing the same thing over in TNA Wrestling and becoming an established main eventer in his own right.
By the time AJ Styles finally joined the WWE in 2016, CM Punk was long gone, but there were calls from the WWE Universe even then for a CM Punk and AJ Styles match on a grand stage.
After the success of the CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe matches in AEW (a nod to the iconic Punk vs. Joe matches of the past), there seems to be no better time for CM Punk and AJ Styles to play it back one more time in the WWE, which would be their first in-ring meeting in two decades.
5 CM Punk Vs. Kevin Owens
It has recently been rumored that CM Punk pitched a WWE return in late 2022 to work a program with Kevin Owens heading into WrestleMania 39. Of course, that never happened, and the two remained on opposite sides of the fence in different promotions throughout WrestleMania season.
CM Punk and Kevin Owens had legitimate heat with each other back in their days in ROH in what is referred to as "The T-Shirt Incident". The young, up-and-comer, Owens, then known as Kevin Steen, was concerned about wrestling in a singlet and cleared it with the booker of ROH at the time, Gabe Sapolsky, to allow him to wrestle in a t-shirt, which of course became a signature of KO's as the years went by.
Punk took exception to this and the two got into a heated confrontation backstage. Unsurprisingly, the two never worked together in the time they shared on the independent circuit or in ROH.
These days, Kevin Owens is a legitimate main eventer in WWE, but a dream match with CM Punk has yet to come to pass. This one would be a sure-fire hit with wrestling fans if WWE's creative team ever pulled the trigger on making it happen.
4 CM Punk Vs. Sami Zayn
Here's another clashing of ROH veterans that has somehow never happened. Back when Sami Zayn was first starting his career, he found himself in Ring Of Honor under the guise of El Generico, a masked wrestler. It was here that Zayn would have many classic battles with his future WWE rival and tag-team partner, Kevin Owens.
Zayn and Punk never had a match against one another in the short time they shared the locker room in ROH. As the years have gone by and both men have evolved their characters and in-ring style, it's become clear that Sami vs. Punk is a money-making program waiting to happen. A bout between the two would certainly be a match WWE should want to pull the trigger on if CM Punk comes back to the WWE.
When Sami Zayn debuted for NXT back in 2013, CM Punk was a main event level star over on the WWE's main roster. This was Zayn's first time competing without a mask after leaving El Generico behind on the independent circuit, so Zayn had yet to establish himself in this brand-new venture.
These days, with both Punk and Sami Zayn being such popular, big-name stars, albeit at separate points in WWE history, this would be a match that could captivate both WWE and independent circuit die-hard fans alike.
3 CM Punk Vs. Finn Balor
CM Punk and Finn Balor have had a very similar journey in the world of professional wrestling. They are both of similar height and stature, share a similar in-ring style, and broke into the wrestling business at around the same time.
Balor's time in the WWE, much like Punk's, has featured ups and downs. While Punk managed to break the mold and become a top main event level superstar, Balor has mostly been treated as a mid-card player on the main roster, despite calls from the WWE Universe for the company to pull the trigger on him for years.
Despite this, Balor has rolled with the punches in his WWE career rather than being vocally displeased like Punk was, and he has a comfortable place as a respected member of the roster whether he is performing as a face or a heel.
for the better part of two decades, Balor and Punk have been a dream match for wrestling fans, starting when Balor first rose to international fame for his timeless performances in Japan under the name of Prince Devitt. These men have yet to meet in the middle of the ring. On paper, Balor and Punk has the potential to be an absolute show-stealer if it ever happens.
2 CM Punk Vs. Logan Paul
CM Punk and Logan Paul already have a little bit of history together. Back in 2020, Logan Paul challenged Punk to an MMA fight, which Punk respectfully declined, stating he had no intentions of rectifying his 0-2 record in the UFC.
Since then, Logan Paul has joined the WWE and can easily be called the greatest celebrity performer that the company has ever had. Logan is a huge fan of professional wrestling and is incredibly passionate about his matches. Not to mention, he has an insane following on social media and on YouTube, bringing eyes to the WWE product at every turn whenever he makes an appearance.
Logan Paul, much like Punk, is also very outspoken. A war of words on the microphone between these two pop culture phenomenons would be sensational. A promo battle between the two has all the potential in the world to go beyond viral.
As far as celebrity dream matches go in the WWE, CM Punk vs. Logan Paul is up there with the best of them, and given the impressive in-ring skills of both men and the social media reach that both men have, a program between Paul and Punk would absolutely be best for business.
1 CM Punk Vs. Cody Rhodes
"The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes is one of the founders of All Elite Wrestling, someone who was there from the very first conceptual image of a brand-new wrestling promotion that had the potential to go mainstream.
Cody has publicly stated that he has no ill feelings towards AEW, despite leaving the company to chase his dream in the WWE. He has also stated that he remains friends with The Elite, and has no heat with CM Punk. Cody is completely neutral in the CM Punk and AEW situation.
Punk and Rhodes were on the roster together at the same time in AEW, but sadly, the two men never clashed in the ring in what would have proved to be a stellar, sell-out match for any respectable AEW pay-per-view.
Now that Punk is a free agent and Cody Rhodes is on the rise to the very top of the WWE as one of the most popular babyfaces in the company, there has never been a better time to cash in on a dream match between Cody Rhodes and CM Punk.