Following his heavily anticipated AEW debut at Friday's Rampage show, CM Punk returned to the ring Wednesday evening during AEW Dynamite. While answering a few questions from Tony Schiavone, Punk teased the return of fellow ex-WWE star Daniel Bryan.
It was previously reported that former WWE star Bryan had signed with AEW. While the rumor has yet to be confirmed by Bryan, Punk's remarks on Dynamite suggest that the leader of the Yes Movement may make his return to the ring soon.
When asked by Schiavone what made him return to the ring, Punk credited it to many of the rising stars on the AEW roster, including Darby Allin, who he is set to face at All Out in September. Punk insisted that following his hiatus from the ring, the question at All Out will be if he still has it. In response, the crowd erupted into a fit of "Yes!" chants. This prompted Punk to say, "That's somebody else's schtick and you might need to be a little bit more patient." Fans of the sport know that the victorious "Yes!" chant is a huge part of Bryan's brand. With the rumors of Bryan's AEW signing, many are taking Punk's comment as confirmation that Bryan will make his AEW debut soon. According to previous reports, Bryan's AEW debut has been scheduled for September 22 at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in Queens, New York.
Bryan has been a member of the WWE roster for roughly 11 years. In what appears to be Bryan's final run with the company, Bryan was involved in a feud with Roman Reigns, which ended in a championship match that also put Bryan's Smackdown career on the line. Bryan lost this match in April, forcing him off of the blue brand. Not long after this match, it was initially reported that Bryan's contract with WWE had expired.
With cuts WWE has made to their roster, many fans are hoping to see some of the stars make an appearance at a company like AEW. Among them are former WWE star Bray Wyatt, who the company announced they had parted ways with a short time ago. In WWE, Wyatt and Bryan had a longstanding feud that has the potential to be explored a bit further should both men make an AEW run.
Before CM Punk returned to the ring, there were countless references to the straight-edge star. If AEW plans to build up Bryan's return, it's unlikely that Punk's comment will be the last reference to Bryan's televised debut.
Source: NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW news