Backstage Note on CM Punk's WWE Future and a Rumored Return to AEW

More details have emerged on CM Punk's status with the WWE amid rumors of backstage tension and a potential departure.

CM Punk's last WWE appearance was the post-WrestleMania 42 edition of Monday Night Raw on Apr. 20. Punk, who lost his World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, had a brief interaction with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in the ring. The latter told Punk, "Just say when" regarding a future title match

Punk's absence has led to plenty of speculation about his WWE future, with one rumor suggesting that he had asked for his release. It has also been reported that Punk has been kept off of television simply because WWE creative has nothing planned for him, though this reportedly isn't the case.

In an update, Dave Meltzer reported on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com) that Punk is staying put in WWE for the long haul, noting that there's still plenty of term on his contract:

"He's not leaving and he's not going back, okay? I mean, I don't want to say never because you never say never, it's not happening now. It's not even something to be concerned about," Meltzer said. "In four years when he's 51 years old or whatever he's going to be, could he have a falling out with WWE? Yes.

Meltzer also addressed speculation that CM Punk might return to AEW. Though Meltzer noted that some people in WWE dislike Punk, he doesn't think it's realistic for the 47-year-old to return to AEW anytime soon:

"Could he want to go to AEW at that point in his life if he doesn't have so much money and AEW is doing really good, cause you ain't going to go to AEW if they're not, there's a lot of bad blood there," Meltzer said. "They're not going to release him for him to come back and he's got a long time left on that deal."

"There's people in WWE that don't like him too and it's not like I don't hear stuff about him, what once a month maybe, who knows right?...There's always little things, there's people there that still have grudges against him for the stuff in the past but they're all going to work together because that's your job is to do it and at the end of the day, he's a money player and it can't be denied."

AEW fired CM Punk in Sept. 2023 after a legitimate backstage altercation with fellow wrestler Jack Perry at the All In pay-per-view. He returned to WWE at the Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 pay-per-view on Nov. 25.

CM Punk Will Reportedly Move to ‘SmackDown' When He Returns

Last week, Meltzer also reported that CM Punk will join the SmackDown brand when he returns to WWE programming. If that's the case, it will presumably conclude his feud with the aforementioned Roman Reigns.

SmackDown is down two top stars right now in Randy Orton (recovering from a back injury) and Drew McIntyre, who's been away to film the Highlander film. So, it makes perfect sense for Punk to go to the blue brand and challenge Cody Rhodes for his WWE Championship.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 2:01 PM.