CM Punk Says AEW Made Him an Offer Last Month, Talks the Probability of His Future in Wrestling

CM Punk was interviewed by ESPN this week and had some interesting things to say about AEW and the possibility of any future for him in the company.

According to Punk, he received an offer from AEW via text message “like a month ago,” but then said, “I always think if somebody wants to do business with me, they can come talk to me. Texting offers isn’t really a way to do good business, at least.”

Punk will be appearing at the upcoming Starrcast III convention on August 31 in Chicago, the same date and area as the AEW All Out PPV.

Here are a few highlights from the interview…

On doing the upcoming Starrcast wrestling convention:

ESPN: You’re doing Starrcast. Why is the timing right, and why did you decide to do it?

CM Punk: They asked if I wanted to do Starrcast. That’s basically it. There’s no mad scientist formula to it. I hate traveling. I’ve turned down offers to do signings in other places. It turns into a mission to leave town just to do a signing and stuff. I like to take time with everybody and make sure everybody has a good experience. I try not to just shuffle people through a line. For those of you who don’t know what it is, it’s not just somebody shoves something in front of me, I sign it and it’s on to the next. I really try to make sure everybody has a story to tell or an experience. Sometimes it can be exhausting.

The biggest thing was it’s in my hometown. I get to go for one day, I get to have fun, I get to give back to the fans, so to speak. And I get to go home and rest afterward.

On receiving an offer from AEW:

ESPN: When you do Starrcast, right or wrong, there is an implied relationship with AEW. Do you have any relationship with AEW?

CM Punk: No. I know they like to talk about me a lot. If I text Matt Jackson, “Hey, have a great show tonight,” which I did when they had their big show in Vegas, that somehow turns into Tony Khan telling people he has a great relationship with me. I’ve said in the past I’ve talked to them, but nothing ever came of anything.

ESPN: When you decided to do Starrcast, did you go over in your mind, like, “I’m going to get a thousand questions about AEW.”

CM Punk: Oh yeah, you’ve gotta brace yourself for it. It’s not even AEW. I’m gonna get a thousand questions about WWE. It comes with the territory.

ESPN: Do you feel like there’s an expectation from fans that you’re going to show up at AEW’s show, at All Out?

CM Punk: I think if there’s an expectation, it’s purely been built by them. My silence to some fans means something. They’re trying to read the tea leaves, but there’s nothing to read. I even feel like talking about it may feel like I’m putting some sort of negative slant on it, but I’m really not. The fact is I know they’ve teased me ad nauseam, and if anybody is gonna get mad it’s at me because I don’t show up. Well then, I don’t know what to tell you. That’s one of those things that’s none of my business.

ESPN: When you say they’ve teased you, what do you mean by that?

CM Punk: They do videos where they talk about me. They’re constantly talking about me in the media. And again, maybe this sounds like I’m badgering them, but I’m not. It’s just something that happens. I’m a popular guy to talk about. But I’m not doing interviews talking about them. If people ask me about it, I say no, I won’t be there.

ESPN: Just to be completely clear, there’s nothing imminent?

CM Punk: The last thing I got — I got a text from Cody [Rhodes]. And again, I almost don’t even know how to reply to them sometimes, because if I reply, they do interviews and are like, “Oh yeah, I just talked to Punk.” I’m kind of damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I always think if somebody wants to do business with me, they can come talk to me. Texting offers isn’t really a way to do good business, at least.

ESPN: Was it an offer via text?

CM Punk: It was texted through three people and an offer came in through text. This is like a month ago, maybe.

ESPN: An offer for All Out?

CM Punk: I think it was just a general offer. I never could have done the last one in Vegas [Double or Nothing], because I was in California for CFFC.

On a possible future in wrestling:

ESPN: By the end of 2020, will CM Punk be involved with pro wrestling in any way?

CM Punk: I doubt it.

ESPN: But it’s possible.

CM Punk: Anything is possible, but I’ve been saying this for five years, man. People are mad at me. I don’t understand how a stranger can get furious at somebody else. It’s like if I was walking down the street and saw somebody cutting grass and I’d be like, “Why the f— are you cutting grass? I want you to work at that f—ing Wendy’s! Go work at that Wendy’s!”

It’s f—ing amazing. There’s obviously a negative side to that, but I just try to focus on the positive side of that. There’s fans, there’s people’s lives I’ve touched, and to bring it full circle, that’s the biggest reason I’m doing Starrcast. I try not to whore myself out to every single signing. I literally do one a year.

ESPN: I feel like those questions have intensified for you because of AEW. It’s an alternative to WWE. People know you’re not a big WWE fan. You’re somewhat friendly with the guys in AEW. All of those things kind of lead to the are-you-going-to-wrestle-again questions.

CM Punk: I get it. But also there’s a weird thing, and I don’t know, it’s just across entertainment as a whole, but I’m not that dude that sat down on a stage in Vegas eight years ago. I’m not the dude that left WWE. I’m not that guy. That was five-years-ago Phil. I’m a different dude now. People still have that connotation, like, “Oh, he hates WWE.” And it’s just like, no, I’ve let all that go, and I’ve let all that go so long ago. But there are people that hold on to that. They still think or want me to be who I was. I’m not who I was yesterday. This is my journey, this is my odyssey.

I equate it to just like MMA training. I’m competing against myself. For better or for worse, it’s in the public eye. So obviously people are going to broadcast my failures. Success quietly hugs you in private, and failure slaps you in front of the world. That’s just life. People just don’t [take that into] account when they’re talking s— about you on Twitter, or when you stumble and fall, they laugh at you.

It’s just like they don’t realize that I’m shielded from that because I don’t care. I’m competing with myself in all avenues to be a better teammate, to be a better husband, to be a better athlete, to be a better actor, to be a better writer. All these things.

And it’s just life, and I f—ing love it. I love it so dearly. And when I can do cool things, I do cool things. Sometimes I trip and fall and s— happens. I pick myself back up, and I go, “Well, f—, what’s next? All right, let’s do it.”