Marc RaimondiESPN Staff Writer November 25, 2023, 11:51pm ET2 minutes read
CM Punk has returned to WWE after nine years.
The wildly popular, polarizing pro wrestling star came out at the end of the WWE Survivor Series show in his hometown of Chicago on Saturday night. Punk’s performance was a complete surprise and a closely guarded secret.
After the main event of the card, Punk’s entrance theme “Cult of Personality” played and he entered the arena before the show went on the air. As the crowd roared in disbelief, Punk knelt in his signature pose and shouted “It’s Clobberin’ Time!”
In August, Punk was fired from All Elite Wrestling (AEW), WWE’s top competitor, with cause, after a physical altercation with wrestler Jack Perry backstage. Punk had been with AEW for two years, a period filled with injuries and behind-the-scenes drama, including several physical altercations. Despite all this, Punk was a two-time AEW World Champion and the biggest moneymaker in the promotion.
It’s unclear what Punk’s creative plans are, but his return to WWE will be the biggest news in wrestling and beyond for some time. Punk is one of the biggest stars the industry has seen in the last two decades.
“It was one of those lightning-quick moments that happened very quickly,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in the post-event press conference. “But we’re incredibly excited about it. It’s been a long time. In some ways, it’s been a long time coming. That’s what you can say about CM Punk. Love him, hate him, positive, negative, whatever you want to say: people talk about him all the time. He is a magnet for it. He’s a conversation starter and it’s hard to ignore.”
Levesque posted a photo of himself and Punk to his X account later Saturday.
Punk left WWE in 2014 on bad terms. He initially left the club for health reasons and then found out about his dismissal on his wedding day. He signed with the UFC later that year, fought twice and swore off wrestling for seven years before returning to AEW in 2021.
WWE doctor Chris Amann sued Punk for defamation after Punk made comments on a podcast in late 2014 about his treatment by Amann and WWE as a whole.
Punk and Levesque had personal problems with each other during Punk’s time in WWE. Levesque said Saturday that if you’re the same person you were 10 years ago, “you’ve screwed up.”
“Everyone grows, everyone changes,” Levesque said. “I am a different person, he is a different person. That’s a different company. We are all on the same page, even from the same starting point. What’s next for CM Punk? This is going to be interesting, isn’t it? I’m interested in seeing this for myself.