One of the biggest and most anticipated wrestling returns in recent memory has finally happened. On Saturday night as WWE Survivor Series was about to go off the air, CM Punk walked into the Allstate Arena in his hometown of Chicago to one of the loudest reactions in pro wrestling history.
His return to WWE is almost a decade in the making and it's a full circle moment for fans who have been chanting his name ever since his acrimonious departure in 2014. Punk is as controversial as he is popular, and his career has been defined by an ability to blend his real-life frustrations and hostilities with his on-screen persona.
CM PUNK IS BACK IN WWE!!! 😏#SurvivorSeries | #WarGamespic.twitter.com/qaDpzDofSt
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) November 26, 2023
For any passive or lapsed wrestling observers who haven't followed Punk's story and might be wondering why his return is such a big deal - this is the wrestling equivalent of Roy Keane returning to the Ireland team after Saipan, only if it took a decade to happen. And an awful lot has happened in that decade to finally bring us to this point.
Almost Ten Years In The Making
CM Punk made his name as a shining light during a particularly bland era of WWE in the early 2010s. His real-life friction with upper management was allowed to play out on-screen, most memorably during his famous 'Pipe Bomb' promo in 2011 which made him a top-tier superstar in the years that followed. But by January 2014, behind the scenes Punk was burnt out and his relationship with management had soured to the point that he walked out on the company, following a backstage row with Vince McMahon and Triple H.
In December of that year, CM Punk broke his silence during an appearance on the 'Art of Wrestling' podcast with his then-close friend Colt Cabana, where he detailed the depth of his frustrations during his time at WWE. This included criticism of WWE's medical processes, which led to the company supporting Dr. Christopher Amann in taking legal action against Punk and Cabana. Despite winning their case in 2018, Punk and Cabana later took legal action against each other in a dispute over costs, ultimately settling in 2019. This brought to an end a tumultuous period in CM Punk's life that coincided with a brief and disappointing run in UFC, where his 0-2 record and performances were widely panned by MMA enthusiasts.
HERE WE GO!@CMPunk is back on #WWERaw for the first time in nearly a decade. pic.twitter.com/Xu5XBr0Jfz
— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2023
Throughout these years, WWE fans continued to chant CM Punk's name and it became seen as an act of rebellion among the fanbase whenever they wanted to express frustrations with the company. But the likelihood of a return always seemed far-fetched given the legal and personal issues between him and WWE executives, as well as his apparent disinterest in coming back to pro-wrestling. That changed in 2021, when he made a triumphant return with upstart promotion All Elite Wrestling and fans rejoiced that Punk was back in pro-wrestling and ready to work in an environment without the tensions and restrictions of a show being run by Vince McMahon.
But his comeback in AEW quickly turned sour and was marred by injuries, suspensions and several real-life backstage altercations between CM Punk and a number of other wrestlers, some of whom were quoted as describing his presence as a "cancer" in the locker room. His last appearance for AEW at Wembley Stadium in August of this year involved another backstage melee that ultimately left his position in the company untenable. AEW owner Tony Khan announced that he was firing CM Punk soon after, and the focus quickly turned to whether or not WWE would finally pull the trigger on bringing CM Punk back.
Mighty cold day in hell. #SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/1Z0KZ2LwCb
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 26, 2023
There has been huge change behind the scenes in WWE over the last 18 months, which has seen Vince McMahon step back from his role in charge of creative, the company merging with UFC under new-parent group TKO, and Triple H now at the helm of the on-screen product which has been gathering momentum in recent months. CM Punk has been vocal in his animosity towards Paul 'Triple H' Levesque since exiting the company, so there were huge doubts as to whether a deal between the two parties could ever be done. Despite the inevitable speculation and rumors as WWE were heading to Chicago for Survivor Series, fans were more hopeful than expectant to see Punk show up. The reaction to his entrance music will be remembered for years to come.
What happens next is even more interesting. CM Punk's recent controversies in AEW suggest he is still the confrontational character he has always been, and he walks back into a WWE locker room containing some familiar faces with whom he has a history of bad blood, including top stars like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. But WWE is at its best when the line between reality and fictional storylines is blurred, and few wrestlers in history have blended both sides of that coin more effectively than CM Punk.
"Everybody grows, everybody changes. I’m a different person, he’s a different person. This is a different company. What’s next for CM Punk? That’ll be interesting, won’t it?"@TripleH on @CMPunk returning to WWE 🤝#SurvivorSeries | #WarGames pic.twitter.com/Ota8lbCOlY
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) November 26, 2023
He returns to a WWE that is now consistently posting record commercial results, record live attendances, resurgent TV ratings in the US and some of the most interesting and compelling programming they have produced in decades, with WrestleMania season on the horizon. Adding CM Punk to the mix now looks like a risk worth taking. Whether it pays off or it ends up with even more acrimony, it will certainly keep fans intrigued as CM Punk always does.
BREAKING RECORDS. BREAKING THE INTERNET.
CM Punk's return is the most social moment in WWE history.@WWE, @CMPunk and the WWE Universe are united together again. pic.twitter.com/n091Ko6qI9— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2023
"I'm home."@CMPunk just addressed the WWE fans for the first time in a decade 🏡#WWERAWpic.twitter.com/Tcy3PLzbHb
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) November 28, 2023
