Tony Khan Drops CM Punk's Name During Radio Appearance

Ever since the skirmish following All Out in September, CM Punk has essentially become persona non grata in AEW. Rumors have circulated recently that the investigation into the brawl has come to or is approaching a conclusion, with the imminent return of The Elite seemingly on the horizon and reports that Punk was working on an exit from the company. However, on this morning's "Busted Open Radio," during a discussion about the prestige of the Ring of Honor World Championship, AEW co-owner Tony Khan mentioned Punk by name for the first time since the backstage incident occurred. 

"We've demonstrated the great history of the [Ring of Honor] Championship. Of course, Chris [Jericho] is the champion now, but there have been a lot of great Ring of Honor champions," Khan said. "Some of the big names that have held the title, and some of the great former champions, include AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Claudio Castagnoli, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, and many others." He continued, "So a lot of great wrestlers across Ring of Honor, and people in AEW, people in WWE, New Japan, all over the world, that have held that belt, and it's really one of the most prestigious title lineages in all of wrestling."

Since winning the Ring of Honor World Championship from Castagnoli in September, Jericho has put out a challenge for former champions of the promotion to face him for the title. Thus far, Jericho has defended the belt against the likes of Bryan Danielson, Dalton Castle, and Bandido. With a surprise opponent tonight as well as the likelihood of more defenses on the horizon, it remains to be seen which former Ring of Honor names appear to challenge Jericho.