Colt Cabana returns to AEW in what sure felt like a statement on CM Punk

Colt Cabana hasn’t wrestled on AEW television in almost a year. He spent some time on YouTube shows, and worked a Ring of Honor PPV in April, but otherwise has been out of sight... but not out of mind.

That’s because his absence was the point of contention in backstage issues between The Elite and CM Punk. Rumors swirled that Tony Khan was not going to re-sign Cabana due to his past issues with Punk. Hangman Page’s unscripted remarks about that during his Double or Nothing feud with Punk eventually led to the post-All Out gripebomb and brawl, which resulted in the suspensions of Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks and the apparent end of Punk’s run with the company.

So Colt wasn’t high on anyone’s list of guesses for the “former Ring of Honor champion” who would answer Chris Jericho’s ROH World title open challenge on the Nov. 2 Dynamite in Baltimore. But as a former two-time ROH Tag champ, he was eligible. And in a move that felt like a statement about Punk’s status in AEW (Punk was Cabana’s tag partner in both those title runs), it was Boom Boom who stepped up to challenge The Ocho.

If the message wasn’t clear, early in the match Excalibur referred to Colt as “Marsha Cabana’s baby boy.” The play on an old Mick Foley catchphrase also references Punk’s jab about Cabana sharing a bank account with his mother during the All Out media scrum.

The Jericho Appreciation Society prevented Colt from winning the match, and the ROH World champ tried to lead an assault on Ring of Honor announcer Ian Riccaboni that turned into a brawl with Blackpool Combat Club.

But that’s probably not going to be the big talking point about this segment.

Get complete results and coverage of everything from tonight’s Dynamite here.