Once CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series, fans began speculating on who he would feud with first, which is reportedly slated to be World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. WWE also has plans for Punk vs. Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
The start
As previously reported, there are people in WWE who are pushing for Punk to wrestle Steve Austin, which is something teased a decade ago while promoting the WWE 13 video game.
WWE and Punk had discussions about the possibility, although many ideas have been floated to Punk. The ideal situation would be to see Punk meet with Austin to go over ideas, but the two sides reportedly need to get through a lot before a match can happen. This is where things get interesting as people close to Austin said they've not heard him mention any personal issues with Punk or what they would need to get over.
The latest
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted Austin hasn’t been approached about the match.
“As soon as that story came out, I heard from a bunch of people who were pretty close in, and they basically said, ‘Probably shouldn't be doing that one or worrying about that one.’ Basically, it's not anything that anyone's talked about to any degree. I mean, it could happen, and it makes sense.”
Meltzer noted the money isn’t the hurdle to get Austin, but rather, does he want to do it at his age and will he have enough time to get into proper ring shape.
“As of right now, he hasn't been approached. He's not in. I'm not saying he won't be and that is not their direction. I'm not saying that's like some people thought the same thing you did. ‘Hey, maybe we could do it’…..I would just say it's premature. I wouldn't say it's never going to happen [either]," Meltzer stated.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit F4WOnline.com with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. An F4WOnline.com subscription includes the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and daily audio shows in addition to thousands of hours of archived audio shows.
More must-reads: