Steve Maclin: “Scott D’Amore Told Me That CM Punk Almost Possibly Signed With TNA, And I Was Going To Be His First Challenger”

2023 was a big year for professional wrestling.

All Elite Wrestling held their annual “All In” event in the UK at Wembley Stadium, CM Punk was fired from AEW, and then Punk was re-hired by WWE after being gone for almost 10 years.

But in between his departure from AEW (September) and his return to WWE (end of November), Punk had what were reported to be serious discussions with (TNA) IMPACT Wrestling.

IMPACT had Punk’s personal friend – Lou D’Angeli – as their Live events & Marketing VP, and were allegedly very close to signing the superstar.

A few days ago, we found out a little bit more about who Punk’s first opponent would’ve been if the deal landed.

While speaking with Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Steve Maclin reveals he would have been CM Punk’s first opponent had Punk signed with TNA in 2023:

“If you want some behind the scenes dirt that nobody knows about, CM Punk before almost possibly signed with TNA and I was going to be his first challenger, which I found out right as Scott D’Amore was let go. We were having dinner one night and he let me know, ‘Yeah, Punk was gonna almost sign there and then you were gonna be his first challenger.’ I was like, ‘Shit, that would have been cool, man.’”

Full video:

CM Punk ended up returning to WWE at Survivor Series in November of that year, which was held in Chicago. The rest is history, as Punk is the current WWE World Heavyweight champion.

Steve Maclin is a former TNA World Champion, as well as being a former two-time and the inaugural TNA International champion. He was defeated by NXT star Stacks at a TNA event recently, but is fighting him next Thursday in an attempt to capture the title for a third time.

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