CM Punk Fuels AEW Rumors With Instagram Post

It's been seven years since CM Punk appeared on television as a professional wrestler--with his last televised appearance being at 2014's Royal Rumble for WWE. However, with rumors circling for weeks and a cryptic post on Instagram, it's looking like there is a very good chance CM Punk will appear on the August 20 episode of AEW Rampage.

On August 16, Punk posted a story on Instagram with three numbers: 05, 11, and 21. Two of these numbers are major moments in the wrestler's history. Check out the image for yourself below.

In 2005, Punk signed his first WWE contract. More specifically, this was the year he signed with OVW, WWE's developmental territory during that time--this was years before FCW and NXT existed.

2011 was a landmark year for Punk. On July 17, Punk's contract was set to expire, and he vowed to leave the company with the WWE Championship, during what is now referred to as the "Pipe Bomb" segment. Punk beat John Cena for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, the final night of his contract. This led to a story where Cena was crowned champion, while Punk still had his, and the two fought each other at Summerslam to see who was the true champion. Punk won, but was quickly dethroned when Alberto Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.

So with 2005 and 2011 being landmark moments where Punk signed new contracts with wrestling companies, does that mean 2021 will be a new "Summer of Punk?" Or is everyone reading way too into this and just adding fuel to the rumor fire? We'll find out on the Friday episode of Rampage when Punk will allegedly debut with AEW. It's good to note that this episode that will take place at the United Center in Punk's hometown of Chicago--where WCW used to run shows. This is the first AEW show at the United Center, as the company tends to run at the Now Arena in Hoffman Estates, where the All In PPV debuted.

For more on the rumors of CM Punk--and Bryan Danielson--in AEW, check out this week's episode of Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot's professional wrestling podcast. This week, Chris Hayner and Mat Elfring discuss how they would book Punk in AEW and the current wrestling landscape.

And speaking of wrestling, make sure to come back to GameSpot later this week for an interview with WWE Raw Women's Champion Nikki A.S.H. and predictions for Summerslam. The next WWE PPV will take place on August 21, and GameSpot will have live coverage of the show.