CM Punk is back! After a rocky run in All Elite Wrestling, the former WWE Champion has returned to the place he used to call home nearly ten years ago. Now that CM Punk has returned to the WWE, there are plenty of interesting avenues for the veteran to go for WrestleMania.

It’s highly unlikely that Triple H has changed course for his WrestleMania plans so Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk is a strong no. Of course, plans can always change. Still, there are plenty of high-profile opponents that CM Punk can fight in his first return to WrestleMania since 2013.  Here are the best options available. 

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Seth Rollins

Given the shoot angle that was filmed at Survivor Series, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this ends up going to WrestleMania. Seth Rollins and CM Punk have a history beyond their backstage issues. The former WWE Champion was the man who originally introduced The Shield. 

There’s so much onscreen history between Punk and Rollins that it would be hard to screw up a story of this nature. Rollins doesn’t have an obvious opponent for WrestleMania. While Damian Priest is worth mentioning as a potential cash-in, Priest winning the belt seems unlikely as he isn’t being primed for the main event spot. Rollins’ direction isn’t clear either, as he’s gone through most of the top names on the RAW brand.

 The returns of Randy Orton and CM Punk were vital because the top of the card was looking thin in terms of challengers for Rollins, and Punk is the perfect guy for a WrestleMania match. Orton wouldn’t be a bad name either, but the former is more marketable.

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Kevin Owens

Punk was gone by the time Owens made his way onto the main roster. However, it’s rumored that these two don’t like each other either. Owens and Punk spend the early portion of their career in Ring of Honor and have fought against one another at various points. The reported heat comes from Owens himself, who told the story of how he and Punk got into a heated argument over the former Universal Champion wanting to wear a shirt into the ring. In response, Punk made him look bad in front of the entire ROH locker room. 

There’s no word on whether these two have made amends, but Owen’s mic skills are top-notch. And to have that personal element attached to this feud can elevate the story between these two. Add in the fact that Owens is one of the best wrestlers in the world, and this has all the makings of an instant classic if done right.

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AJ Styles

Like Owens, Styles and Punk last clashed in Ring of Honor. The former has only gotten better as time moved on. There’s some reported heat between Styles and Punk, which isn’t that much of a surprise at this point. But that doesn’t need to be the catalyst of every CM Punk feud. Styles remains one of the best wrestlers on the planet and having him and Punk clash is simply a dream match. Plus, this is the perfect go-to match if all the other top names on the roster are busy. 

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Sami Zayn

The only name on the list that doesn’t have personal beef with CM Punk. But Sami Zayn’s natural charisma could be a nice clash against Punk’s anti-hero antics. CM Punk has never been a clean-cut good guy, especially during his final months in AEW. 

It would be great to have two characters that have different moral values fight for something important. Whether that’s a title shot or integrity, there’s an interesting story to pull out of two wrestlers who don’t have much history with one another. Both men are very complex, and wrestling is at its best when it explores the dimension of a character. With their mic skills, it wouldn’t be hard to get fans invested in this feud. Punk can also get a nice win on an upper-tier guy who isn’t doing much in the main event scene. 

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Drew McIntyre

It’s not exactly clear what issue Punk and McIntyre have. It should be interesting to see if the former WWE Champion walking out of the building upset is used in an eventual feud between the two. Either way, McIntyre has come a long way since his early days in the company. 

By the time CM Punk’s position in WWE grew, McIntyre was in 3MB. The clash of styles is the most interesting aspect of this match-up, though it helps that McIntyre’s recent heel turn has given his character a new perspective on the business

This could be another angle that infuriates McIntyre because Punk is coming in as a main-event player, which will likely push him further down the card for the time being. McIntyre arguably has the most interesting character on WWE television right now, and it would be great to see it translate over to CM Punk’s story of returning to the company after nearly ten years.