November 26, 2023, 12:12 pm ET
CM Punk made a surprise appearance at the end of WWE Survivor Series this Saturday after a nine-year absence.
CM Punk has returned to WWE after nine years.
The popular and polarizing professional wrestling star resurfaced 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 very well-kept secret.
After the highlight of the evening, Punk’s opening song “Cult of Personality” played and he entered the arena before the show stopped. As the crowd roared in disbelief, Punk knelt in his signature pose and shouted, “It’s time to tap!”
Last August, Punk was released from top competition All Elite Wrestling (AEW) following an altercation with fighter Jack Perry. Punk had been with AEW for two years, a period filled with injuries and serious physical altercations. Punk was a two-time AEW Champion and, despite his struggles, became the promotion’s biggest moneymaker.
It’s unclear what Punk’s plans are, but his return to WWE is certainly news to the wrestling world. Punk is one of the biggest stars the wrestling industry has ever seen in the last two decades.
“It was one of those standout moments that came very quickly,” WWE content office chief Paul “Triple H” Levesque said at the post-event press conference. “But we are incredibly happy about it. It’s been a long time. In some ways, it’s been a long time coming. You can say this about CM Punk: love him, hate him, positive, negative, whatever you want to say.” . People are talking about him everywhere. “Time. He’s a magnet. He’s the one who starts a conversation and that’s hard to ignore.”
Levesque posted a photo with Punk to his “X” account on Saturday night.
Punk left WWE in 2014 on very bad terms. At first he argued that he had health problems, later he received news of his dismissal on his wedding day. He later signed a contract with the UFC that year, where he fought a few times, which led to him quitting wrestling for seven years before returning to AEW in 2021.
WWE medical officer Chris Aman sued Punk after the wrestler made comments on a 2014 podcast discussing the treatment he received from Aman and the WWE as a whole.
Punk and Levesque had personal problems during their time in WWE.
Levesque said Saturday that if you were the same person you were 10 years ago, “you would be wrong.”
“Everyone grows, changes,” Levesque said. “I am a different person, he is a different person. That’s a different company. We are all in the same place, even at the same starting point. What’s next for CM Punk? This will be interesting, right? I myself am interested in getting to know him.