CM Punk Attends Latest IMPACT Wrestling Taping in Chicago
AEW's CM Punk has continued his tour of the professional wrestling scene with a stop at the most recent tapings of IMPACT Wrestling in Chicago.
During the second-night of tapings for the promotion, Punk was spotted backstage and Jordynne Grace shared a photo with the two-time AEW World Champion.
Punk's appearance at the event comes after the Chicago-Made wrestler was backstage during the most recent episode of WWE Monday Night Raw in Chicago. Punk reportedly spoke to a handful of Superstars and briefly spoke to Triple H before being asked to leave. Showing up at Raw marked Punk's first time attending a WWE wrestling event since January 2014. Punk was said to receive a warm-welcome by those backstage.
CM Punk isn't the only notable name to recently attend an IMPACT Wrestling taping. During the first night of this week's tapings in Chicago, Trinity Fatu fka, Naomi, made her debut for the promotion and had an in-ring segment with IMPACT Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo. New Japan's Mercedes Moné was also at the event to support her friend, whom she walked out of WWE last year with over a creative dispute. Fatu wrestled at the most recent tapings for IMPACT.
CM Punk is expected to make his return to AEW programming this June as part of the rumored Saturday wrestling show, expected to be called AEW Collision. Punk recently met with Chris Jericho to resolve their differences, and Jericho is expected to be Punk's first opponent post-return. It has been rumored that CM Punk's in-ring return could be at the much-anticipated AEW All In event in London, England. All In will take place on August 27, inside Wembley Stadium, and mark AEW's first event outside North America.
Punk didn't appear on camera during the recent tapings, but did compete for IMPACT (NWA: Total Nonstop Action) at the time from 2003 and 2004. The future AEW World Champion teamed with Julio Dinero as a member of Raven's TNA alliance 'The Gathering.' Punk was also competing for Ring of Honor during this stint, and left NWA:TNA in March 2004 in order to focus on his ROH run.
