In the world of professional wrestling, fans are taught that the industry lives and dies by the simple phrase “never say never.” No matter what has happened over the years, and no matter how unfit someone has become in the top pro wrestling companies, a comeback is always possible – especially when there’s money to be made. With that in mind, it shouldn’t be as surprising as CM Punk returning to WWE nearly a decade after his publicly messy exit from the company.
To fully explain the disagreement and how bitter it was, a few things need to be noted. First, Punk went through his entire side of the story in two appearances on Colt Cabana’s The Art of Wrestling podcast. In it, he discussed a number of health issues and injuries he went through during his WWE career. As a result of this podcast, WWE’s senior in-ring physician, Dr. Christopher Amman, sued Punk and Cabana for defamation. Punk and Cabana ultimately prevailed in a suit. However, this also led to the end of their friendship. It also seemed like any potential for Punk to return to WWE was moot.
Flash forward to 2021 and we have CM Punk’s disastrous results in All Elite Wrestling. He debuted at a sold-out United Center in his hometown of Chicago as the new face of the fledgling company. Although he initially had memorable matches and even won the World Championship twice, those highlights were marred by injuries, reports of backstage feuds, suspensions, being stripped of his AEW World Championship, and eventually being fired for cause after AEW CEO Tony Khan claimed, “I’ve been going to wrestling shows for over 30 years. For four years I made them in this network. Never in all that time have I ever felt like my safety, my safety, my life was in danger at a wrestling show.”
While no details were given as to why Khan felt in danger, the suggestion that Punk was fired because of the incident made him look out of sorts to those on the outside. For the first time, “never” seemed like the right answer.
Of course, there has been a lot of speculation that he will eventually return to WWE, possibly as soon as the 2023 installment of Survivor Series comes out of Chicago. But given his past criticism of current WWE Chief Creative Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the logical conclusion would be that too many bridges have been burned.
However, in the final moments of Survivor Series over the weekend, the Chicago crowd was shocked and delighted as Punk’s famous song – Living Colour’s Cult of Personality – started playing over the arena speakers and his name flashed on the video screen. However, WWE pulled the stunt less than two months after his last WWE Finals appearance, so it wasn’t until the former AEW star took the stage that the crowd truly showed their appreciation.
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All we’ve seen so far is a punk walking into a room in Chicago. It wasn’t until Monday Night Raw that he actually made his intentions clear, making this a can’t-miss episode of 2023 wrestling television. Don’t expect him to go into detail about his split with AEW though, as even Khan said he’s legally unable to comment on Punk’s departure and new home in WWE.
All of this leads to the most important question of all: Is WWE bringing back Punk back a good idea to begin with? There are two schools of thought on this, so let’s give those examples, shall we?
Case in point for CM Punk
If nothing else, WWE bringing back CM Punk is creating the types of headlines the company wants to see. It was the kind of shocking moment that rarely, if ever, happens in wrestling, where dirty sheets and social media tend to spoil things. Even AEW couldn’t keep the signing of Punk a secret – and the company managed to sell out a much bigger arena because of it. Now, though, WWE has really caught the audience and the wrestling world off guard, which is hard to do in our always-on society.
There’s also a sense that Punk’s return to WWE is proof that the company is the true end of pro wrestling, given that Punk is the second high-profile AEW talent to return to WWE after Cody Rhodes in 2022. AEW was supposed to be an indie alternative that motivated wrestlers to seek a new life outside of the WWE ecosystem. Now, after several years of experimentation, we’ve seen two of the company’s biggest names return to where they came from. Coupled with the likes of Brian Pillman Jr. and Jade Cargill leaving AEW to build their own careers in WWE, this arguably strengthens World Wrestling Entertainment – and its parent company TKO Corp. – as an undisputed wrestling champion.
Perhaps most importantly, CM Punk’s return to the company is a huge accomplishment for Levesque and WWE CEO Nick Hahn. It’s been a year since these two ran the company, and signing CM Punk is an incredibly valuable banner. For comparison, look at the first major decisions made by Disney CEO Bob Iger. After taking over this media company, he set out to make some very big purchases that would define his legacy with The Walt Disney Company – he bought Pixar and Marvel Comics. While Disney previously worked closely with Pixar on its animation program, the Marvel acquisition set the company on a future course – the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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Levesque and Khan bringing Punk back to WWE is a similar situation. It’s a statement to the world that both are willing to do whatever it takes, including working with talent that has been vocal and aggressive in criticizing WWE, to stay on top and preserve the company’s future.
What’s more, this comes at a time when WWE is in negotiations for the television rights to Monday Night Raw. And when Smackdown moves to the US next year, chances are they’ll be talking to suitors outside of their regular cable networks. With the return of not only CM Punk, but also Randy Orton – both appearing on Raw – WWE has made its Monday night programming even more compelling than it has been in recent weeks.
Ever since Vince McMahon stepped down from his role in WWE, which led to Levesque overseeing the entire creative team, the quality of WWE programming has greatly increased. Ratings are growing, more tickets are being sold for live events. Now, with Orton and Punk back on Raw, the value of this show will increase even more.
Last but not least, it gives Punk a chance to not end his career badly. Whether you love or hate CM Punk, love or hate AEW, his time there was overshadowed to the point where it would likely be his legacy in pro wrestling. And given how much remains – and likely will remain – unknown about what actually went on behind-the-scenes, including the events of the All In 2022 press conference and the reported backstage brawl at AEW’s show, with no chance of redemption, here that most of Punk’s career would be known for.
Now with a chance to shine once again in WWE, Punk can take control of his career. Of course, there’s a chance that he also has a very complex contract to prevent what allegedly happened in AEW from happening again. But maybe that’s the kind of “freedom” Punk needs as a performer. While previously in WWE, he succeeded in developing the character of this version of CM Punk from Straight-Edge Society to becoming the best in the world. Now he has a chance to recapture some of that magic, and hopefully settle on being someone other than the cocky veteran he’s played since his return to the industry.
So, really, there’s no end to CM Punk in WWE – and that’s before you factor in all the matches he has to do. If WWE doesn’t immediately pull the trigger on their feud with Seth Rollins, it couldn’t be a bigger mistake. Meanwhile, guys like Gunther, Austin Theory, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, and – yes – even Logan Paul are all likely going to have incredible matches with Punk. We’d even add The Miz to that list given the murky history between the two.
In a perfect world, this is a great moment for WWE, for Punk, and for the fans. However, if there’s one thing wrestling isn’t, it’s perfect.
The case against CM Punk
If you strongly believed that WWE should stay as far away from punk as possible, you were not wrong. After all, look at the last two years of his career. It was filled with injuries, suspensions, reports of behind-the-scenes fights and even threats against his last boss, Tony Khan. When he was released, Khan and AEW made it clear that Punk was fired “for cause.” This was not an exception or expiration of the contract. This was not a suspension pending release. CM Punk was fired by AEW, or at least what they fire if you’re an independent contractor.
Attracting such a person can easily become a staffing nightmare. What’s more, based on reports and fan videos from Survivor Series, it appears that there are a number of talents who aren’t too happy about Punk’s return – including the aforementioned Rollins.
While you could say the actions we saw at Survivor Series were setups for storylines, much earlier this year Rollins called Punk a “cancer” and told him to stay away from WWE. It may have worked in the long run. Or maybe Punk has some fixing to do now that he’s back in WWE.
Will this lead to a spike in WWE ratings? After all, that’s what wrestling is really about. The answer to this question is that while it is certainly possible in the short term, there is not much long term evidence.
Look at AEW Collision for example. The Saturday night show debuted this June, marking Punk’s return from suspension and injury. Its debut episode drew 816,000 viewers, roughly on par with AEW’s other two-hour weekly show, Dynamite. However, after two months, the show was down to its usual 400-600,000 viewers. It showed that even though Punk was a nobody, it wasn’t clear how long his presence mattered in getting people to tune in. After his departure, Collision’s audience continued to decline, with 270,000 viewers for the November 17 episode.
Above all, though, what does this say to others in the industry about toxic talent? I’m not saying that CM Punk is a toxic person. Rather, I want to point out that for most of his time in AEW, he displayed many toxic traits. The reports and accusations we’ve read, along with Tony Khan’s own words about firing Punk, would make him unemployable in most places if he wasn’t named CM Punk. If I’m a WWE talent that has worked hard to get to the next level, only for a guy to be incredibly ungrateful for everything he’s earned over the years, I’d be upset.
During the post-Survivor Series press conference, Levesque noted that neither he nor Punk were the same people they were a decade ago when they weren’t getting along. “Everyone grows, everyone changes,” he told the media. “And I’m a different person. He’s a different person. There’s a different company. And we’re all, we’re all in the same starting position.”
While this is a nice thought, there is evidence dating back just a couple of months that shows that Punk may still be the same volatile force he was after his first WWE departure. It’s a stigma that will follow him for some time.
Only Punk can fix that, though. In the world of modern wrestling, he has often considered himself part of the old guard of pro wrestling. The type of wrestler who shakes hands, gives advice to anyone who seeks it, and loves the art of pro wrestling. This is CM Punk first arriving in AEW before we saw him slowly fade away as he became more disgruntled. This is Punk who needs to show up on Raw and stay. A punk who is grateful for the opportunity to prove himself once again. This punk is the pro wrestling that will always be needed. Hopefully that’s the one we get this time.
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