CM Punk\'s tumultuous tenure with AEW came to an end in September 2023, just over two years after his grandiose debut/return to pro wrestling. Though Punk was pivotal to plenty of controversy during his run, Jim Ross wishes that the Best in the World was \'All-Elite\' to this day.
On his Grilling JR podcast, Ross defended CM Punk\'s new viewpoint about Saudi Arabia, arguing that people ultimately change their mind as years go by. Ross followed up by sharing his desire that Punk had never been fired from AEW.
\"He’s controversial, that’s why he’s so fun to follow. Phil’s a good friend of mine. I am a full-on supporter of his work, I really am; I still wish he was at AEW, quite frankly. He adds a lot to any presentation that he’s involved in.\
Punk was fired following his second AEW suspension in under a year, this time for his fight with Jack Perry backstage at AEW All In: London 2023. The incident left Tony Khan \'fearing for his life\' as he told a live Chicago crowd, ahead of the following week\'s All Out pay-per-view.
Punk has since returned to WWE where he has been incident-free behind the scenes. While Punk\'s days appearing for AEW are seemingly behind him for good, Jim Ross can\'t help but wish Punk was working in AEW to this day.
