Report: WWE's Television Partners Shocked At CM Punk Reportedly Joining AEW

If all rumours, reports and speculation are to be believed, then AEW is set to become the home of two former WWE Champions in CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. 

Signing the duo - long considered major favourites of the WWE Universe - is going to be a huge coup for Tony Khan and All Elite Wrestling. It's not a stretch to predict that interest in the still relatively new promotion will highly increase should both of them put pen-to-paper with AEW.

The news has, according to a new report, caused significant upset for WWE, specifically with their television and network partners. It has been noted by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast that the partners are particularly 'shocked' at AEW pulling off a deal to sign CM Punk.

It was also noted, however, that these network executives are not necessarily wrestling fans and do not understand the inner workings of a wrestling promotion, or why WWE have not tried to make a deal with Punk themselves.

WWE, for their part, do not necessarily see Punk joining AEW as a big hit to their company. Punk last wrestled in 2014 and therefore is a bit of an unknown quantity in the ring in 2021. 

Where WWE do feel they've taken a big hit, however, is if Daniel Bryan has signed for AEW. Bryan left WWE at the expiration of his last contract, in April, but the company had been very hopeful of agreeing a new deal with him. 

Zarian noted on Mat Men that there are WWE officials who are very upset that the company lost Bryan, with rumours indicating that one of those people is WWE Chairman Vince McMahon himself.