AEW and CM Punk are negotiating a buyout of Punk’s contract.
The news was broken in today’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, who reports that the conversation between the two sides is ongoing following the investigation into the backstage incident at ALL OUT. One current hold-up is the non-compete clause that is in Punk’s contract.
Punk, along with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Ace Steel were all suspended from AEW due to the ALL OUT melee, which did become physical and even saw Steel bite Omega. Steel has since been released, but the status of the other top stars were uncertain until this report from The Observer.
The big thing to note from this is whether Punk has any interest in competing for competitor companies, specifically WWE, and how that tease could play into negotiations for the buyout.
Stay tuned.