Cody Rhodes talks CM Punk.
Until CM Punk signs somewhere, fans will continue to wonder when he will show up in AEW. Punk was the headlining act at Starrcast III in Chicago, the same site as AEW All Out, but didn't show up at the AEW pay-per-view.
When asked by Collider Live the chances Punk appears in AEW, AEW co-executive vice president Cody Rhodes answered, "50/50? I really liked Phil and he was really nice to me when I was in OVW as kind of a locker room leader and then he has such a successful run in WWE. I never really had an adversarial relationship with him. I know he doesn't like when we discuss him, but I explained it to him once; a lot of people ask us about him. I don't want to say 'no comment.' Perhaps he doesn't want to be involved in wrestling anymore. If that's the case, no big deal. You gave us your body and this body of work and CM Punk was an awesome wrestler."
In an interview with ESPN on July 25, Punk stated that he had received offers from AEW via text messages. Cody revealed that there was more to it than Punk has let on.
"He did kind of make us look like dumbasses, saying we sent him a text offer. I'm sure we texted him, but we also called him. Someone also met him in a coffee shop. We made genuine efforts. In 2019, [he's had] quite some time away from the ring, we gotta focus on who really wants to be on board with us versus going out and finding someone who perhaps doesn't want to be part of this. I didn't really communicate with him further after that. I expected to see him at Starrcast. He gave this great live show where he was great with his answers. I'm sure we'll run into each other at some point."
Cody continued, "If he ever wanted to be part of this and had the passion to come back to wrestling, that door is always open. No ego, no situation would ever prevent us from having him come in because the fans have never given up on Punk. Ever."
The latest update on Punk has him reportedly meeting with Fox and testing on-camera for WWE's upcoming studio show WWE Backstage. Punk stated during his Starrcast III stage show that he doesn't miss wrestling. It is unknown if or when Punk will return to wrestling.
If you use any of the quotes above please credit Collider Live with a h/t to Fightful for the transcription.