AEW rematches for CM Punk in WWE: Raw & SmackDown stars who the Best in the World previously faced while “All Elite”

WWE/AEW

Seven years on from his WWE exit, CM Punk made his return to wrestling with AEW, competing in his first match back at All Out 2021.

Punk shared the ring with a number of talented competitors while “All Elite”, ahead of his departure from the company in 2023.

While the circumstances surrounding Punk’s exit weren’t exactly amicable, fans still fondly remember the Second City Saint’s matches with the promotion, some of which were against stars who have also since joined WWE.

Because of this, we could soon see Punk have more matches against stars who he previously crossed paths with prior to his WWE comeback.

Here are three potential AEW rematches for CM Punk in WWE.

Royce Keys

Royce Keys was a significant opponent for CM Punk in AEW, with this match being Punk’s first TV bout in seven years.

In Punk’s second ever match for AEW, the former WWE Champion battled “Powerhouse Hobbs” on the September 22, 2021 Rampage Grand Slam show.

With CM Punk victorious on this occasion, it’d be interesting to see how a rematch would go, given everything that has happened in the past five years.

Now Royce Keys, the former “Powerhouse Hobbs” made his WWE debut during January’s Royal Rumble match, and now leads the 946 faction on Raw.

Penta

CM Punk faced Penta on the April 13, 2022 Dynamite episode, defeating the luchador after 13 minutes of action.

The two stars have shared the ring as teammates in WWE at several non-televised house shows, most recently on August 28, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales.

With both stars competing in the Money in the Bank ladder match, we could soon see Penta and Punk face off in a traditional one-on-one match.

Penta made his WWE debut in January 2025, and has notably held the Intercontinental Championship during his run so far.

Ricky Saints

Ricky Saints and CM Punk wrestled each other four times in AEW, with two of their encounters being one-on-one matches.

“Ricky Starks” first defeated CM Punk in the finals of the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, giving Punk his third singles defeat in AEW.

Punk was victorious in their next clash, defeating Saints on the August 5, 2023 Collision episode in a match for the “real” AEW World Championship.

Ricky Saints and CM Punk have yet to face off on WWE TV, but have stood across the ring from one another in tag-team action at six non-televised house shows this year.

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• AEW
• wwe
• cm punk

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