WWE Talent to Speak With Higher-Ups About How CM Punk Will Be Handled

CM Punk’s return to WWE at Survivor Series will mark one of the biggest surprises in WWE history. Since he has a track record of confrontation and controversy, there are also concerns about how Punk will be handled.

CM Punk rode one wave of controversy after another during his time in AEW, and he was eventually fired from the company after backstage blow-up at All In London. Now, he is back in WWE, but the two did have a discussion about mending fences prior to Punk’s return.

Tony Khan refused to comment on CM Punk’s WWE return. He mentioned that he legally can’t discuss it, but many others have been able to.

Sean Sapp noted behind Fightful’s paywall to say that, “many WWE talent expect to speak with higher ups and gain some assurances about Punk and how he will be in the company moving forward.” 

As far as AEW, Tony Khan seemed more concerned Saturday night about losing Kastuyori Shibata than CM Punk heading to WWE. The majority of reactions we’ve gained within AEW is people asking about how the reaction within WWE has been. The answer to that is much more tepid than originally expected, just as was the case when Punk came back to AEW for Collision. In both WWE and AEW, there had been people that had said they didn’t want to work with him and would consider leaving, but we heard of no release requests from people in AEW and now WWE connected to it.

The report continued, as it mentioned that some top WWE talent had inquired with certain individuals in AEW about Punk’s potential involvement in the AEW devil storyline within the last month or so. However, Punk’s participation in that storyline was never under discussion. While the surprise Punk appearance at Survivor Series was well-guarded within WWE, Punk had confided in or at least dropped hints to a couple of close friends regarding it.

WWE ultimately utilized visuals from Punk’s previous stint with the company, including renders and the Titantron video from that particular era. We reached out to a source at Peacock regarding the compilation of Punk-related content, and were informed that it required relatively minimal time to assemble. There were also some guidelines provided on how to handle Punk chants during Smackdown and Survivor Series, with the directive being to minimize acknowledgment of them as much as possible.

We can confirm that there was a real offer put together for CM Punk by IMPACT/TNA, as Ibou of WrestlePurists mentioned recently. Fightful spoke to several associated with the company this weekend that said he was well liked during his visits there, and we’re told the door remains open. There had been some friends of Punk’s that thought that was a real possibility before talks with Triple H started. Those close to him fully believed he would wrestle again, and when it looked like the door wasn’t open for a return, it seemed like an option if Punk wanted it.

Triple H was very candid about the deal that brought CM Punk back to WWE. He said that things came together in a hurry, and that was a rapid process. In the end, Triple H found himself posting a pointing selfie with the Second City Savior after Survivor Series.

What’s your take on AEW not saying anything about CM Punk’s WWE return? How do you think they feel about things? Let us know what you think about that in the comments section!