CM Punk’s Highly Awaited WWE Return Thrown Out of the Window by Nick Khan, Hours After Signing Mega-Merger Deal With UFC

CM Punk can safely be called the undisputed all-time best wrestling gossip provider. He is tirelessly so. Even after an abrupt end to his tumultuous AEW stint, Punk didn’t leave headlines, with the rumor mill unceasingly conjecturing if a second WWE run is on the card for The Second City Saint.

At All In 2023, Punk embroiled himself in a boiling backstage brawl with Jack Perry. It pushed AEW head Tony Khan to pull the plug on the wrestler finally. The speculation of Punk restarting a WWE run has been rife ever since. From superstars to fans, most WWE fanatics have put their sentiments forward already. Now, WWE CEO Nick Khan joined them with a rather vague stance on the same.

Nick Khan addressed the wildly running CM Punk WWE return speculation

Hours have passed since WWE and UFC officially merged to form a unified TKO Group Holdings, sending Vince McMahon to the back burner. With the changed ownership, former CEO Nick Khan will serve as WWE’s president from now on.

Before taking up his new role, Khan broke the silence on the highly hyped-up CM Punk return issue.

The Best in The World will go down in history as a shining main eventer of WWE if not as a controversial component of AEW. His promising tenure garnered him many honors, including 6 World Championship reigns.

Recalling those glorious deeds of the wrestler, Khan acknowledged his talent and contribution to the company, tactfully brushing aside the question of his potential return.

“Listen, we only have respect for Phil,” Khan told ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. “We appreciate his run here. We appreciate what he did and tried to do with the UFC. Not many people can actually get in there and do what he did. So, when we have respect for Phil, we wish him nothing but the best,” Khan noted during a recent interview with ESPN.

Already taking his role as president seriously, Khan was quick to avoid the question of whether WWE had any plans to bring him back to the roster.

Read more: Reports – CM Punk Wanted a WWE Return During His Suspension After All Out Media Scrum Events

But then, another company veteran, Eric Bischoff, thinks it still can be a call for Punk if he is ready to do some self-reflection.

Eric Bischoff sees a conditional WWE return for CM Punk

Like many other veterans, Eric Bischoff recently went candid about whether Punk could return to WWE or not.

The Hall of Famer thinks it would be beneficial for both WWE and Punk, as he has still some years left before hanging up his shoes and has some more to give to the business.

But at the same time, Bischoff believes Punk needs some reworking on how he handles himself and invites trouble and controversies to his life and others.

However, with Khan keeping it a mystery till now, we need to wait for more to hear about WWE’s real plan for the former World Heavyweight Champion.

What’s your take on Nick Khan almost ruling out a potential WWE return for CM Punk? Do you want him back in the Stamford-based company?

Watch the story: CM Punk’s Firing Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett Offers Help To Tony Khan To Keep AEW’s Backstage Disciplined ‘I Can Promise You