CM Punk

For the second time in his career, undisputed WWE universal champion Roman Reigns is atop the PWI 500.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated released its annual list of the top 500 pro wrestlers in the world on Wednesday, and Reigns paced the field for the first time since 2016:

Per Fightful's Jeremy Lambert, the top 10 for the 2022 PWI 500 is as follows:

1. Roman Reigns
2. Kazuchika Okada
3. CM Punk
4. "Hangman" Adam Page
5. Bobby Lashley
6. Cody Rhodes
7. Bryan Danielson
8. El Hijo del Vikingo
9. Big E
10. Jonathan Gresham

Reigns somewhat controversially finished second on the list to AEW's Kenny Omega last year, with Omega getting the nod because he held world titles in AEW, Impact Wrestling and AAA during the evaluation period.

The evaluation period for the 2022 PWI 500 ran from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, and Reigns was a world champion in WWE for the entirety of that time.

Reigns has surpassed 700 days as universal champion, and at WrestleMania 38 in April, he added the WWE Championship to the fold by defeating Brock Lesnar in the main event.

The PWI 500 is based largely on factors like win-loss record and championship wins, making it difficult to argue against Reigns at No. 1 since he didn't lose a single match of consequence over the course of the year.

Coming in second on the list is New Japan Pro-Wrestling star, Kazuchika Okada, who was No. 1 in 2017, and was the IWGP world heavyweight champion from January 2022 until June 2022.

AEW's CM Punk made his return to the PWI 500 at No. 3 after a lengthy absence because of his hiatus from pro wrestling.

Punk returned to wrestling in August 2021 after more than seven years away, and he quickly established himself as one of the faces of AEW.

He became AEW world champion late in the evaluation period by beating No. 4 finisher "Hangman" Adam Page at Double or Nothing, leading to his best placement in the PWI 500 since finishing first in 2012 and second in 2013 while he was in WWE.

Reigns taking the top spot in the PWI 500 breaks a two-year run of dominance by AEW, which saw Jon Moxley take No. 1 in 2020, followed by Omega in 2021.

The Tribal Chief is just the second WWE Superstar in the past six years to top the PWI 500, joining former Shield stablemate Seth Rollins, who was No. 1 in 2019.

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CM Punk reportedly underwent surgery on a torn triceps muscle last week and is expected to be out of action for at least eight months.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported doctors recommended immediate surgery to avoid "muscle atrophy."

Punk was injured while performing a tope during his AEW championship match against Jon Moxley at All Out. He would go on to win the match, winning his second championship in one year with the company.

It's currently unclear whether Punk will be back with AEW once he's medically cleared. He has now won the AEW championship twice and been injured within a week both times. It's fair to wonder whether his body can withstand the rigors of a full-time wrestling schedule at age 43—especially after taking seven years off of in-ring action.

Given his injuries, there is a legitimate chance we've seen the last of CM Punk as a professional wrestler.

AEW is currently conducting a tournament to determine the next champion.

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After one of the wildest weekends in recent wrestling history, WWE and All Elite Wrestling are moving forward through the rest of 2022 with several major questions left to be answered.

In AEW, the chaos that reigned following Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view and CM Punk’s comments during a press conference created a buzz around the company. As a result, many are asking if it can survive such a tumultuous time.

Meanwhile, WWE is carrying momentum after Triple H took control of creative and started bringing former Superstars back. Unfortunately, the terrible booking decision letting Roman Reigns beat Drew McIntyre nullified much of the goodwill from the WWE Universe.

Here are some of the looming questions in the industry for the rest of the year.

Will AEW Survive the Chaos?

Following a successful All Out, Punk went on a tirade that took aim at several of the biggest names in the company, including Adam Page, Kenny Omega and Matt and Nick Jackson.

According to the Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, a physical altercation occurred between Punk, Omega, The Young Bucks and producer Ace Steel. The report also claimed some or all of the people involved were suspended by AEW President Tony Khan.

While everyone is talking about AEW, there are serious questions about how the company recovers from a major spat that included the world champion and three executive vice presidents. Add in the fact that all of the aforementioned talents had their titles stripped shows just how serious the situation has become.

Whatever actually happened behind the scenes, this is far from an isolated incident in wrestling, which has been plagued by giant egos and physical altercations—either confirmed or rumored—for years.

From Bret Hart punching Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob to the Plane Ride from Hell to Booker T and Batista throwing hands backstage, confrontations are not uncommon. While a physical altercation should not be acceptable, it won’t be the end of AEW as we know it.

The key will be Khan regaining control of his company and its roster. Once he establishes a clearer set of protocols and expectations, and squashes any beef between the parties involved backstage, he should turn this into a storyline and capitalize on the attention.

With fans leaning into storylines that blend reality with kayfabe, AEW could take this situation and turn it into the best angle since the company’s current world champ took his title and "left" WWE during the Summer of Punk.

Not only will AEW survive the chaos, but the company will also be stronger because of it.

Who Will Defeat Roman Reigns?

Triple H has made several positive changes to WWE programming since taking over for Vince McMahon, but the company made an unforgivable mistake when it let Reigns retain his title over McIntyre in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday night.

Instead of cementing the Scot as a top star and moving into the fall with him holding the undisputed titles, he will be cast aside to a midcard feud while Reigns and his stale storyline continue to drag on through the rest of 2022.

So, who has the momentum and clout needed to dethrone the champion?

There are a number of Superstars on the roster who have the support of the WWE Universe who could conceivably beat Reigns with the proper push, such as Braun Strowman, Kevin Owens or even Seth Rollins. Unfortunately, none of them feel like they’re worthy of taking the title as things stand.

With that in mind, the answer to who will take the title from The Tribal Chief may be someone not currently on the active roster. While fans fear the name Goldberg in a situation like this, the reality is that WWE could look at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles and book The Rock as the man who ends Reigns’ run at the top.

Rumors have run rampant that The Great One would return to WWE for the marquee event, and the speculation is that he would challenge Reigns for his claim to be the leader of the Anoa'i family.

A bout between the two family members doesn’t need the belts on the line, but Triple H and WWE Creative have seemingly made the choice to keep the championship around Reigns’ waist for the foreseeable future.

If the company leaves the title on him until WrestleMania, his part-time schedule means the next several months of WWE programming are going to be monotonous and repetitive.

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AEW star CM Punk is reportedly expected to miss significant time because of an arm injury he suffered during his match against Jon Moxley at All Out on Sunday.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (beginning at the 4:35 mark), it is believed that Punk suffered the injury while attempting a dive off the top rope:

According to Meltzer, it has not been confirmed that Punk tore his triceps, but he did tear a muscle in his arm, which could keep him out for eight months.

Meltzer said Punk may have already undergone surgery to address the issue.

AEW President Tony Khan announced on Wednesday night's episode of Dynamite that Punk would vacate the AEW World Championship he won from Moxley at All Out.

To determine a new champion, a Grand Slam Tournament of Champions will be held, featuring Moxley, Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson, "Hangman" Adam Page, Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara.

The winner of the tournament and new AEW world champion will be decided on the Sept. 21 episode of Dynamite at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

This marks the second time that the 43-year-old Punk has seen his AEW world title reign interrupted by injury. On the first occasion, he missed time with a foot injury after winning the title at Double or Nothing in May, but rather than vacating the championship, an interim champion was determined.

Punk lost a unification match to Moxley last month, but he then defeated Mox at All Out to become the second two-time world champion in AEW history.

Aside from Punk's losing the title, his latest injury seemingly means the postponement or cancellation of the reprisal of his feud with MJF, who returned at All Out after a few months off AEW programming and won the Casino Ladder Match to earn a future AEW World Championship opportunity.

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