The latest AEW Fight Forever trailer gave us our first look at several characters, but the game's central cover star was missing.
Here's everything we know so far about the absence of CM Punk and how the AEW Fight Forever cover could be changed.
AEW Fight Forever cover star CM Punk could be removed
When we got the major announcement of AEW Fight Forever being available for pre order, it included the reveal of the game's official cover art.
This included several top wrestlers, but the front and center AEW Fight Forever cover star was none other than CM Punk, at the time one of the company's biggest names.
As seen in the early announcement teaser above, the art showcasing the game featured CM Punk as the most prominent superstar, and this rang true when the official cover seen below was confirmed.
PRE ORDER NOW: Secure your copy of AEW Fight Forever today
However, it looks like things could be changing following the incidents which may see CM Punk gone from All Elite Wrestling entirely.
Following a backstage altercation after AEW All Out and ensuing investigation, other names involved have returned to AEW while CM Punk remains missing in action.
Nothing is confirmed as of yet, but multiple reports indicate it's unlikely CM Punk will return to AEW and is just hammering out details of the contract buyout.
New AEW Fight Forever trailer could be first look at new cover art
We saw the return of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks at AEW Full Gear, all of which had been temporarily suspended during the investigation into their altercation with CM Punk.
The same night, we got the official AEW Fight Forever reveal trailer seen below which includes footage of several different character we'll see on the launch roster.
However, most interesting may be the final frames which you can see more clearly below is the exact same style of image shown in the original announcement teaser.
There was already speculation about a cover change prior to AEW Full Gear and even prior to the All Out incident, as the original design was made by developer Yuke's rather than the AEW design team.
The active removal of CM Punk may have offered a major opportunity to change things while redesigning the game's cover art.
Amazon listings still show the original box art, but the Steam Store has been given a different header image and spotlights the newest trailer first.
At this point, we'll still need to wait on official confirmation of a change to the box art for AEW Fight Forever, but the lack of CM Punk in their new trailer speaks volumes.