Last week Tony Khan issued a statement confirming that CM Punk’s AEW contract had been terminated. Immediately fans started talking about a possible WWE return, but that subject creates more questions than answers at this point.
It’s not known right now if WWE would even be interested in signing CM Punk, and there’s also no word on whether or not Punk has a non-compete clause. Tony Khan confirmed when he made the announcement that CM Punk had been fired for cause which makes for an interesting situation.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that typically WWE Superstars who are fired for cause have to wait out a year long non-compete clause. However, it hasn’t been confirmed that those circumstances apply to Punk.
“This is not WWE, so this probably doesn’t apply but perhaps it does — [in a] standard WWE contract, if you are fired for cause, you have a one-year non-compete [clause],” Meltzer said. “I am sure if somebody went to court and was not being paid for a year, even if they screwed up and were fired for cause, I can’t imagine any judge not saying, ‘Look, you can’t do a non-compete.'”
Over the weekend Tony Khan was asked if CM Punk has a non-compete clause during the AEW All Out post-show press conference, but Khan declined to reveal any specifics regarding CM Punk’s departure.
Stay tuned for updates.
H/T Wrestling Inc.
