CM Punk is (Not) Returning to WWE…Or is He?

Let’s face it, wrestlers lie work to protect the business. It’s not the first time and it certainly won’t be the last. The Hardys bent over backwards to ensure their WrestleMania return would be the huge surprise that it was. After all, after working the brutal ladder match for ROH the day before, it would be hard to believe many people if any, still bought into the well-publicized rumors that the Hardys were WWE bound. But they were, and the two sold it brilliantly.

So why bring up something that happened seven years ago? Well, because we sit near the eve of Survivor Series in Chicago on Saturday, November 25th,  and once again, rumors are swirling around a certain someone’s return to WWE. And for all the denials and protestations to the contrary, it feels like history may be repeating itself. Only this time it is the company and not the wrestler (well, not the possible returning wrestler at least) who seems to be trying too hard to hide a surprise return.

Of course, we’re talking about CM Punk, Triple H, and the curious case of the potential/likely/possible/doubtful ‘CM Punk to WWE’ return in the coming weeks.

“Look Into My Eyes, What Do You See?”: The Curious Case of CM Punk to WWE

Let’s start with a timeline of what we “know” regarding the ‘CM Punk to WWE’ rumors.

In January 2014, following displeasure with being passed over for a WrestleMania main event, coupled with a rapidly deteriorating relationship with Vince McMahon and growing burnout from injuries and how he felt he was being treated, CM Punk walked out on WWE and never looked back. While many expected the star to return, it was not to be as five months after Punk’s Royal Rumble walk-out, he was issued his pink slip, and on his wedding day to boot, according to the wrestler. It was a cold and calculated move on the part of McMahon and WWE, one final parting shot to end Punk’s eight-year career with the company. But Punk didn’t take things lying down, as he followed up his firing with one of the most tell-all interviews a wrestler could give. Punk aired a ton of dirty laundry in his two hour interview with former best friend Colt Cabana, including directly going for the jugular when it came to his thoughts on McMahon, Triple H, and other higher-ups within the company. And then Punk followed that up by suing WWE’s head physician, alleging the lack of care he received and misdiagnosed staph infection amounted to no less than medical malpractice. Punk minced no words when it came to speaking of his dislike of his time in WWE toward the end and the conditions he wrestled under.

Seemingly swearing off wrestling forever, flash forward seven years to September 5, 2021 where CM Punk returned to the squared circle, making his in-ring debut for AEW at All Out. Punk was a star for Tony Khan‘s promotion, instantly bringing eyes and increased attention to AEW, while perhaps also pulling some viewers from his former promotion in the process. And in AEW, Punk continued to dish on WWE, making no attempt to hide how he continued to feel about his former employer. But Punk’s AEW honeymoon came to a crashing halt faster than anyone would have predicted. Just a few months after winning his first world title with the company, Punk got into a backstage altercation that led to an investigation. Following ‘Brawl Out’, Punk was sidelined as he recovered from injuries. His relationship with AEW was a bit contentious at the point, given the backstage incident. And it was reportedly at this time, that Punk entertained asking out of AEW with hopes of returning to WWE as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble.

On August 27th, shortly after his return from injury, Punk got into another altercation, this time involving Khan. And as it would turn out, there was not a three strikes policy. On September 2, 2023, Khan and AEW released a statement announcing they had fired Punk with cause, following his second backstage altercation with AEW talent in less than a year. According to Khan’s statement, while the decision to terminate Punk’s contract was ultimately his, the AEW Discipline Committee and outside legal counsel unanimously recommended to AEW’s president that Punk be let go immediately. And so, in an announcement that largely came as a surprise to those in the wrestling world, Punk’s employ with AEW came to an unceremonious end, just days before All Out, set for Chicago’s United Center.

Almost immediately (within minutes according to a report from PW Insider), despite all the bad blood of the past, the ‘CM Punk to WWE’ rumor mill began swirling among wrestlers, fans, and potentially even WWE higher-ups at that time. The locker room was reportedly mixed, though some top names were said to be trending positively toward the idea of Punk returning. While speculation grew, compounded by earlier rumors that Punk had wanted to leave AEW in order to make a Royal Rumble return in January 2023, so too did curiosity surrounding any sort of non-compete or severance clause that Punk may or may not have had.

It was unclear the length or existence of said clause- and still remains so – but in mid-September Punk perhaps clarified or simply fed into the rumors by suggesting he had some time on his hands, specifically two months. Punk could have been truthfully referencing a two-month non-compete, as short as that would seem for one of the top names in the business, or he very cleverly could have been connecting dots many fans had long given up hoping for. Because two months from September would be November, the month when WWE was set to return to Chicago for Survivor Series.

Say what you will about Punk, but he’s a smart man and he knew just what to say to get people talking about a return to WWE. But he wasn’t stopping there as in early October, reports from Meltzer began to circulate that not only was Punk interested in returning to WWE but that it was his intention to do so, and the two sides were having talks about the possibility. As quickly as those reports came out however, so did another one, seemingly dashing the hopes for a Punk to WWE reunion. In a huge and plot-twisting bombshell, news broke that while Punk wanted to return and was the one who initiated contact, that WWE officials, namely McMahon, Triple H, and Nick Khan ultimately decided not to pursue any sort of contract and that talks were no longer ongoing between the two sides. So that was that then on the ‘CM Punk to WWE’ front. Despite the multitude of Punk references on TV and in social media, WWE would not be re-entering the fraught marriage with the superstar…or so they claimed. But what if, WWE’s report was just a red herring designed to throw fans off the trail?

The Man Who (Didn’t) Cry Punk

Sometimes when you try so hard to paint a picture that something isn’t true, you end up revealing the opposite and right now, it seems as if WWE, specifically Triple H, “doth protest too much” to borrow a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Now, could fans be making something out of nothing here? Absolutely. Perhaps WWE’s adamant and over-the-top denials are meant to be crystal clear. No hidden meaning. CM Punk to WWE isn’t happening. But this is wrestling we’re talking about, and that just feels too neat, especially for someone who built his career as a worker. If anyone knows how to play the metaphorical game, it is Triple H. He’s been on both sides of it. He knows that sometimes wrestlers say one thing and do the opposite in the name of securing a paycheck and protecting the business. He also knows as an executive, that he is in the perfect position to push the narrative one way or the other, again, in the name of making money. And make no mistake, controversy equals cash, and a wrestler as smart as Triple H, can probably see that the benefits outweigh the cons when it comes to bringing Punk back. The same can be said for Punk as many wonder why he’d even want to come back after everything he alleged almost a decade ago. Well, that part seems simple. WWE is the only promotion that would enable Punk to make what he made or close to in AEW, while also giving him a platform for the other endeavors he pursues. Oh, and neither side would probably mind him using WWE to throw in a few digs at his most recent former employer…

McMahon, Triple H, and others, who Punk once blasted in his so-called exit interview, now hold his fate in their hands. It’s been said Punk has been interested in burying the hatchet, even dating back to when he was still in AEW. And it’s also said it’s never say never when it comes to wrestlers resolving beef in WWE. But when you burn a bridge to the ground, and then continue to light the flame as its being rebuilt, it’s not that easy to just walk across that bridge to find common ground. Even if both sides have said there is no remaining ill will there.

So maybe Triple H isn’t the boy crying wolf when he says Punk isn’t showing up…Or maybe he is.

Recently, it was reported that Triple H briefed talent on how to answer questions about Punk for the Fastlane post-event press conference, which occurred shortly after Punk had been dismissed from AEW. The COO already prepared to dispel the rumors. Perhaps, pre-emptively, or perhaps to hide the fact that the two sides had already been in conversation. Fast forward to a few days ago and another report has come out that Roman Reigns is set to miss Survivor Series, not on his own accord, but on Triple H’s call. According to Xero News’ private X account, Triple H doesn’t want Reigns to overshadow his plans for the PLE. The biggest star, arguably in wrestling right now, is rumored to be missing one of the year’s top events, because his boss doesn’t want his presence to overshadow his plans… It seems like there is only one plan worthy of justifying Reigns being asked to miss the show.

It remains to be seen if Punk will show up at Survivor Series or any other WWE event in the upcoming weeks and months. It very well could be the case that the reports are true, that WWE did ultimately opt not to do business with Punk again. That decision on its own wouldn’t be all that surprising, and right now, all indications are pointing to that being the case. Reports and rumors all seem to confirm that no one within WWE expect Punk to return at this time. Though, to play devil’s advocate, wouldn’t a ‘CM Punk to WWE’ return seem like something that would be kept under lock and key? Something that possibly only McMahon, Triple, and Khan would know about in advance? The more people in the loop, the more likely it would be that the news would get leaked, and if WWE is working so hard to tell us Punk isn’t coming, could that just be their way of trying to avoid any sort of leak that would ruin the ultimate surprise?

To Punk’s part, he’s not said a word, opting to vague-post on X (formerly Twitter) and fan the flames by trolling instead. And even if WWE was being truthful about saying no to Punk in October, that was a month ago, and things in wrestling can change at a rapid pace.

10 Years Later…

So, for sake of argument, let’s assume that Punk is that Survivor Series master plan and that WWE has been pulling the wool over our eyes with its approach of denial in hopes to not spoil the surprise. WWE’s anti-Punk stance feels more telling than if the company had gone back to teasing his return as it did back in September. They seem to be working overtime to deny Punk returning and normally when you work that hard to say something isn’t happening, it means something is. Something of this magnitude, it makes sense that as soon as the rumors began swirling, WWE was thinking of ways to dispel them. Anything not to ruin the big surprise.

Time will tell what happens and if WWE was indeed telling the truth or rather playing possum. Punk could very well return at Survivor Series or he might not. As obvious as a Survivor Series return feels because of the Chicago connection, people are forgetting how symbolic say, a Royal Rumble return could feel as well. Imagine Punk as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble, 10 years later from his last match in WWE at that very PPV/PLE. Imagine he returns, wins the Rumble, and receives a WrestleMania main event, the first of his career, as a result. If Reigns is still penciled in to fight Cody Rhodes in a rematch, a Punk vs Seth Rollins headliner on the other of the two nights, would be more than an adequate contest. Especially since Rollins himself seems to have real-life heat with Punk following damning comments he made earlier this year calling the self-proclaimed Best in the World, “selfish” and a locker room “cancer” among other things.

The reality is, likely only a handful of people know what is about to happen (or not happen) in Chicago during Thanksgiving weekend or any time after. The rest of us will just have to wait and see.