CM Punk to AEW hasn't been confirmed, but he was certainly referenced on Wednesday's AEW Dynamite.
On AEW Dynamite, Tony Schiavone announced a special event entitled "The First Dance" set for August 20 at the United Center in Chicago.
Immediately following the announcement, the crowd began chanting "CM Punk." Punk is a Chicago native and has referenced the Chicago Bulls and "The Last Dance" in recent social media posts.
In a backstage interview, Darby Allin stated, "I’ll be in Chicago. You know, I’ve been around a lot of men in this world that have laid claim to how they’re the greatest. There is only one place to really prove that — right here, in AEW. Even, if you think you are the best in the world."
Punk often referred to himself as "The Best in the World" during his career.
In the opening contest on Dynamite, Nick Jackson hit a running knee in the corner following by a bulldog, which was a signature move used by Punk in the majority of his matches. Jackson has utilized a similar pattern before, but rarely chaining those two moves together back-to-back.
Finally, after Chris Jericho defeated Nick Gage, MJF grabbed the mic and said, "Chris, as you sit there in more pain than you’ve ever been in your entire life, I want you to listen to me."
The verbiage and tone were similar to Punk's famous pipebomb promo, which began with Punk saying to John Cena, "John Cena, while you lay there, hopefully as uncomfortable as you can possibly be, I want you to listen to me."
When asked about CM Punk potentially coming to AEW by the New York Post, Tony Khan gave no comment on Wednesday.
On July 21, Fightful reported CM Punk was in talks with AEW for an in-ring return. Fightful Select has more details on Punk potentially joining the company.
If you missed anything from AEW Dynamite, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
