The unthinkable apparently happened last night: CM Punk made his return to pro wrestling. The former wrestler has not appeared in a ring since his controversial WWE departure in 2014. Although he wore a mask during last night’s MKE Wrestling show, he hit his old GTS finishing move and has since been confirmed to be the former world champion. Believe it or not, Punk foreshadowed his surprise return on The Russillo and Kanell Show back in 2016. When asked if he would ever make a return to pro wrestling, Punk quickly ruled out the idea of rejoining WWE, but said that he’d likely be open to making a secret appearance during an indie show. Sure enough, that is exactly what Punk decided to do last night.
“I’d like to cover all my bases, just so some internet dweeb is going to be like, ‘you said you’d never wrestle again!’ But WWE? No. Absolutely not. But you never know, I could pop up here and there. Let me explain that to you even better: it’s not going to be even be televised, it’s going to be me in a f*****g ninja outfit wrestling one of my buddies and nobody’s ever going to know. It’s going to be very ‘Monty Python,’ so to speak.” Punk said during the show.
During a special bonus episode of “The Road to Double or Nothing” on YouTube, it was announced that Dustin Rhodes will wrestle his brother Cody at Double or Nothing. This naturally means that Dustin’s latest run with WWE has come to an end for the time being. Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet has noted that WWE just moved Goldust’s profile from the active roster section over to the alumni area. Although it is currently unknown if Dustin’s appearance for AEW is just a one-off right now, it is clear now that he is no longer wrestling for WWE. Dustin will be wrestling Cody at Double or Nothing, which is the first official event for All Elite Wrestling. It takes place on May 25th live in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Goldust has been officially moved to the WWE alumni page and is no longer listed as a current member of the roster. pic.twitter.com/PCNFVXL9n0
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) April 21, 2019
Cody Rhodes appeared on the Jim Ross Report podcast this week to talk about some of the talent that will be joining All Elite Wrestling. When he was asked about the recent wave of WWE stars who are reportedly looking to leave the company, Rhodes took the time to say that simply working for WWE will not be enough to guarantee stars a spot in AEW. Rhodes instead says that he is mostly focused on recruiting “freshman,” as in completely new stars that most audiences are not aware of. Of course, Rhodes did not rule out the idea of some former WWE stars joining AEW at some point in the future, but do not expect to see the likes of Dean Ambrose, Sasha Banks, Luke Harper, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson all join at once.
“I’ve jokingly said [WWE stars in AEW] is about 5% – Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes. A few others, maybe. It’s not the same. Having that equity with WWE is wonderful but you’ve got to be able to cut it and meet the standards that people have for their actual bell-to-bell contest. That number might increase. There being the opportunity to exist for the boys and girls to make money, here or there. Just to have options. If they can play, they’re gonna play.” Rhodes said.