Why Jim Ross Wishes WWE Star CM Punk Was Still With AEW

Six days after his backstage altercation with Jack Perry, CM Punk was terminated from All Elite Wrestling contract. Two months later, Punk made a shocking return to WWE at the conclusion of the 2023 Survivor Series: WarGames premium live event. On a recent episode of "Grilling JR," AEW commentator Jim Ross assessed the strides made by his former colleague following his resurgence in WWE.

While inherently happy for Punk, Ross admits that a big part of him wishes he was still working for AEW. "I get text messages from him on a somewhat frequent basis because he's just checking on me to see how I'm feeling," Ross said. "He likes me and he respects me, and it's reciprocal ... I miss CM Punk. I thought he contributed greatly to the AEW roster when he was with us. To be perfectly candid, I wish he still was. How do you not want a talent the level of CM Punk not still with your company? It, personality-wise, just did not work out, and that's unfortunate."

Since returning to WWE in September, "The Second City Saint" has notably found himself enveloped in a tense feud with "The Scottish Warrior" Drew McIntyre, who he recently screwed out of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, yet again. The latest collision between Punk and McIntyre came at the 2024 WWE Clash at the Castle event, in which McIntyre challenged Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately for McIntyre, his valiant efforts were not enough to overcome the low blow brought on by Punk and the South of Heaven that followed from Priest.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Grilling JR" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.