Felix Upton on December 1, 2023
A story is making waves in October that CM Punk wants to make a return to WWE, and those close to the Second City Savior have said that there are currently talks between the two sides. That story gained some traction, but it took place during a time when Punk was not actually talking to WWE.
Ringside News exclusively reported that CM Punk was trying to float a story of WWE interest to the press. That narrative got legs under it and started to run, but there was no real ground to it at the time. He reached out to assess interest, although it has not been reciprocated thus far.
That eventually changed, as the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that real talks between CM Punk and WWE started about 10 days prior to his Survivor Series return.
The only thing we were told is that the deal was put together about ten or so days before the event and kept secret, although obviously the idea that there was never any discussion prior is not the case and obviously it had been talked about dating back to them getting the word Punk didn’t have a non-compete period based on the nature of his firing and they could bring him in if they wanted. From the WWE side, they knew Punk would come since there were the two prior attempts Punk’s side made to come in, once before he signed with AEW and a second time last year when WWE couldn’t have gotten him anyway because his AEW contract was still in effect. Even though Punk’s first AEW promo indicated strong negativity toward his WWE tenure, it was clear despite all the water under the bridge from his side with the nature of his quitting and the subsequent lawsuit, that in the end, the opportunity for huge money and fame overrode the past and time heals all wounds.
WWE under Vince McMahon did turn Punk down when his reps made an attempt to broker a deal years back, and also nixed when FOX had suggested his being brought back after they signed him independently to do their FS 1 weekly news show that was later dropped. One year ago there were also talks. Those in WWE said at the time they were not interested, but my thought was that given he was still under contract to AEW at the time, and wasn’t going to be given a release, no deal could be made theoretically for years until the AEW deal expired.
Ringside News also exclusively reported in September that, “When [CM Punk] started causing problems on the [WWE Backstage] show with his comments, he was scaled back.”
That apparently didn’t fix CM Punk’s problem with WWE Backstage. We were additionally told that, “When he went further, WWE said ‘no more’ or told Fox ‘he needs to be controlled.’”
We will keep a close eye on CM Punk’s story, as we have provided many exclusives on the matter, right here at Ringside News. You never know what will break next, but we will be here with all the headlines you need.
What’s your take on CM Punk’s return to WWE? Will it shake things up in a good way? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
December 1, 2023 9:17 am
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