CM Punk And AEW Were Reportedly Mending Fences Prior To March 23 Instagram Post

CM Punk sent rumors of his status with AEW swirling again with a now-deleted Instagram Story post, but apparently, things were on the up and up between both parties prior to the post. According to a report from Fightful Select, talks between Punk and AEW were having "productive progression" recently, with Punk possibly being open to returning to AEW. An AEW return would be a stark turnaround from the talks of a buyout of Punk's contract just a few months ago. AEW CEO Tony Khan and Punk were said to have had a couple of meetings since the backstage incident at All Out 2022 that resulted in the Elite and Punk being pulled from AEW TV.

The report detailed one person backstage going as far as to say that Punk was willing to apologize for his words at the All Out press scrum. Who he would be apologizing to and whether it would be public is unknown. Punk is said to have expressed regret about aspects of the night of All Out as a whole. Punk's contract status with AEW seems to be unchanged. Whether or not he was suspended or docked pay remains unknown.

While talks may have been making progress, Punk's Instagram rant may change the situation. After a forum post from the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, Punk posted an Instagram Story calling Meltzer "a liar" and further calling Chris Jericho "a stooge." Punk also scrutinized his feud with Jon Moxley, claiming he wasn't medically cleared for their AEW World Championship Unification Match on "Dynamite." The post may have been in violation of internal AEW guidelines not only regarding his words towards Jericho but regarding his comments on his medical status.