Immediately after his dismissal from AEW, the speculation about a possible comeback to WWE starts. A lot of scorched earth would have to be cleared away for that to happen though.
The dream comeback at competitor AEW ended in disaster – is there now a return to WWE?
Immediately after AEW boss Tony Khan fired CM Punk following another beating scandal, the usual speculation has begun in the wrestling scene.
Could the 44-year-old now make a comeback nine and a half years after his bitter break with his former employer?
Many observers assume, in view of the developments of the past years, that it would no longer fail because of him. Whether WWE would take him back, however, is the much less clear-cut question.
CM Punk has long softened stance on WWE
For the record, there is a lot of scorched earth between WWE and the former champion, who left the league in frustration in early 2014 and made serious allegations against the promotion – most notably accusing it of putting his life in danger by improperly treating an infection. Former WWE doctor Chris Amann unsuccessfully sued Punk for defamation of character as a result.
Punk had declared his career over after leaving, tried his hand as an MMA fighter in the UFC (where he lost two matches crashing) and repeatedly communicated that he was done with wrestling.
This has famously changed – and it doesn’t seem to be down to Punk that his return didn’t lead him to WWE. He had audibly softened his critical stance on WWE a few years ago, even indirectly working with them again: He let partner broadcaster Fox recruit him in 2019 as an “analyst” for the show “Backstage”, where he commented on current WWE happenings and also stood in front of the camera with many active stars.
WWE let Punk’s comeback advances go to waste
According to consistent media reports, Fox then eventually wanted to set up Punk’s ring comeback with WWE and, in case of doubt, also co-finance it, but WWE would have declined. According to the well-known wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, WWE founder Vince McMahon, who was still solely responsible at the time, would have ultimately told the broadcaster that the league was open to any commitment – any except Punk.
Brandon Thurston put the idea of CM Punk going back to WWE in Tony Khan’s mind and Tony made this face. pic.twitter.com/TF3ZZLZ9Gq
– Ibou, of WrestlePurists (@BackupHangman) September 4, 2023
Punk himself reported in an ESPN interview after his AEW debut that WWE approached him in December 2020, but he was under the impression that the league wasn’t serious: “I told them not to play games. And they did play games.”
A few weeks ago, Meltzer had even reported: From WWE circles he had repeatedly heard the assessment that the signing of Punk would end badly for AEW – from the very beginning and long before the conflicts that then actually occurred had happened.
Even when Punk seemed to be on the verge of quitting AEW once before, after the last beating incident in September 2022, WWE is said to have continued to wave him off, reports Meltzer.
Nebulous visit to WWE in spring
In April, a sudden backstage visit by Punk before an edition of the TV show Monday Night RAW in his home city of Chicago provided a new topic of conversation.
There, Punk – who had also avoided private contact with his old WWE colleagues for years – is said to have addressed conciliatory words to “Triple H” Paul Levesque, who is now officially in charge of the talent policy. The latter’s relationship with Punk is also considered to be personally fractured.
The visit was interpreted within the scene as a negotiating manoeuvre in the course of the AEW talks about comeback conditions after the first beating incident in 2022. WWE ultimately expelled Punk, who was still contractually bound to AEW at the time, under nebulous circumstances.
F4D: Lance Storm gives his opinion and asks questions about the CM Punk visiting WWE story. https://t.co/mYdKSjV7fm pic.twitter.com/iCCGtyCzTh
– Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) April 25, 2023
WWE has had a lot of unexpected comebacks
What WWE will do with Punk cannot yet be seriously predicted.
In favour of comeback negotiations: Punk would draw a lot of profitable attention to WWE and away from AEW. And: Over the past decades, Vince McMahon has repeatedly brought back stars with whom he was once considered to be hopelessly at odds. Think Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior or even Brock Lesnar in 2012, among others. Levesque, too, has been marked by his father-in-law continuing to have his say.
Against that is how Punk has cultivated his reputation at AEW as a hard-to-control problem child, and is also likely to stir up trouble in the WWE booth – reigning World Champion Seth Rollins even publicly called Punk a “cancer” earlier this year who should please stay away from his league.
Earlier words from Triple H speak against Punk comeback
Levesque might also be inclined towards that attitude. “No matter how talented someone is, if it’s not right humanly, they have to go elsewhere,” he once paraphrased his philosophy as squad leader. “I’m not going to let anybody break the cubicle culture here. Not by anyone.”
They are statements that suggest Levesque is rather unenthusiastic about punk – though they were also made in 2018, before the formation of AEW and the competitive situation it brought. In subsequent media conversations where Levesque was asked about Punk, Levesque avoided committing to a specific stance.
Should WWE continue to give him the cold shoulder, Punk faces a bitter end to his career: other US leagues are likely to find him too small and they will also hardly be able to pay him. In that case, the only option would be an engagement in another wrestling-savvy nation like Mexico or Japan.
In all likelihood, the speculation will continue for a while and is likely to reach a boiling point on 25 November: That’s when WWE’s big event Survivor Series is coming up, where the league has already staged many big comebacks. This year’s venue: Punk’s hometown Chicago.
