Backstage Note on if WWE Will Sign One of CM Punk's Biggest Rivals

As WWE fans await CM Punk's return to television, a significant contract update has emerged on one of his rivals from the AEW promotion.

CM Punk last appeared for WWE on the post-WrestleMania 42 episode of Raw on April 20. Punk lost his World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, but teased a title match with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on Raw before taking a hiatus.

One recent report indicated that CM Punk will return to WWE by the July 6 episode of Raw in Rosemont, Illinois. Another stated that he will move to the SmackDown brand following his return.

In the meantime, there's a noteworthy contract update on an AEW star who has a well-documented history with CM Punk.

During a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com), Bryan Alvarez reported that Jack Perry's AEW contract is set to expire "at any moment." Perry, of course, was involved in a backstage altercation with CM Punk at the All In 2023 pay-per-view, which led to Punk's dismissal from AEW.

Alvarez expects Perry to sign a new deal with AEW. On the show, Dave Meltzer also touched base on the possibility of Perry signing with WWE and reuniting with his former enemy, reporting that he doesn't expect it to happen.

"I don't know that he would do well in WWE," Meltzer said. "He would be one of those guys I would say, like a Darby Allin, where I would kind of say probably not the best idea, you know? Like Danhausen was a good idea. I just don't see them pushing (Perry).

"And it's got nothing to do with Punk...I don't think Punk would have the power to ruin him or anything like that. He's just not their style at all. The weight and all the flying and the high spots and everything like that."

Circumstances of CM Punk's AEW Dismissal

Perry has been with AEW since its inception in 2019. He's won the AEW National Championship, the AEW TNT Championship, the FTW Championship and the AEW World Tag Team titles.

AEW president and CEO Tony Khan met with the company's disciplinary committee and spoke with outside legal counsel, who recommended terminating CM Punk's contract.

CM Punk would return to the WWE during the Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 pay-per-view. In an April 2024 interview with Ariel Helwani (via Awful Announcing), Punk claimed that he called Khan a "clown" and quit the company on his own terms.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 18, 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 18, 2026 at 3:25 AM.