CM Punk is Back in WWE … So Let’s Talk About It
To the surprise of many, the disgust of some, and the sheer bewilderment of myself, CM Punk is actually in WWE for the first time in nearly 10 years. The Straight Edge Superstar strolled out in front of a white-hot Rosemont, Ill., crowd at Survivor Series last night and now that it has fully sunken in, let’s talk about it.
If you had told someone two years ago after just wrestling Eddie Kingston at AEW Full Gear 2021 and starting a feud with MJF that, in 2023, he would be showing up at a WWE event where Vince McMahon is nowhere to be found and one of AEW’s founders is in the ring, people would think you’re insane. But that’s wrestling, this whole industry is insane even at the calmest of times.
But despite seeming like a perfect fit for All Elite Wrestling, he’s back in the place that he himself said got him sick and stamped his passion for the business out of him. Of course, WWE isn’t what it was in 2014 when Punk left. To be frank, WWE isn’t even the same place it was 18 months ago when Punk won his first AEW World Championship. There seems to be a genuine mentality of, to quote High School Musical, we are all in this together.
That is something AEW had that was seemingly gone by the time CM Punk got fired in September. The company had a divided locker room; hell, it has a divided fan base to this day that partially stemmed from him coming to the company.
So it’s no wonder that some people, while happy to see him back, are approaching his second run in WWE with extreme caution.
The Cult of Personality:
To put it bluntly, there is something magical when CM Punk is on TV. You can’t take your eyes off him, you hang on to his every word, and you will buy into any and all ideas he throws out into the world. If you need an example, just think about how many people suddenly wanted WWE Ice Cream Bars in 2011 despite never giving them a second thought until he brought them up.
Fans will follow him to the end of the earth; there are some who could have him push them down a flight of stairs and they would say it’s their fault. That creates a megastar aura but it comes with its side effects that AEW has felt over the past two years and WWE could be beginning to feel it now that he’s back.
Fightful Select reported a multitude of things following Survivor Series, including some roster members being openly angry that Punk was back. Drew McIntyre got out of the arena before the former AEW World Champion arrived, Rhea Ripley flipped him the bird, and Seth Rollins had to be restrained by multiple members of staff as Survivor Series went off air.
Now, this could all be an elaborate work this is wrestling after all, but considering that Rollins was reportedly looking for Punk backstage before being ushered away doesn’t read well.
Punk’s biggest issue with working in AEW was that, in his own words, he worked with f**king children, seeing himself as the only adult in the room. However, when you’re not the only adult in the room and they have a problem with you, that can lead to some nasty situations. WWE is playing with fire, it’s now down to them to avoid getting burned.
But What About All Elite Wrestling?
In my predictions for WWE Survivor Series, I incorrectly predicted that CM Punk wouldn’t show up.
While I’m happy that I’m wrong, one of my main reasons for thinking it was what happened in AEW over the past year and a half. He was the perfect fit for a company that is seen as the alternative to the establishment, and now they don’t have the most alternative star in the entire industry…what now?
Is AEW dead? Is the sky falling on top of them? Will AEW become the next WCW circa 2000????? No. No, they won’t. In fact, All Elite Wrestling will be more than fine because, at the end of the day, CM Punk is one man.
Does that one man have a lot of influence? Of course he does, but when you look at the AEW roster, they are going to be fine years after Punk inevitably gets his long-awaited WrestleMania main event.
AEW’s Future Is Extremely Bright, Despite CM Punk’s WWE Return
All Elite Wrestling currently boasts one of the most impressive rosters in the entire world, with many of them not even being 30-years-old. Will Ospreay put pen to paper with AEW at Full Gear and is considered one of the best in the world despite not reaching his prime.
MJF is the current World Champion and is on course to be one of the faces of the company despite only being 27-years-old, and when you factor in the likes of Konosuke Takeshita, Julia Hart, Top Flight, Daniel Garcia, Hook, Wheeler Yuta, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Lee Moriarty, Jack Perry and all of the other young stars that I’m forgetting, AEW will be just fine going forward.
Is it a shame it didn’t work out for the Punk/AEW partnership? Of course it is. It’s like seeing that toxic love of your life who keyed your car, set your family pet on fire and was loathed by everyone you love move on; you know it’s the best for both of you, but that doesn’t mean you won’t miss them.
AEW’s a young company that needs to have these moments in order to grow, and if the pre-Punk era, the time he was off due to injury, and the run the company’s been on since he got fired is anything to go by, All Elite Wrestling will soldier on no matter what happens.
Let’s Enjoy CM Punk While He’s Still Here:
It’s not often someone gets a third chance in life, but CM Punk has that in WWE.
Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, his first run in the company was too cold, his run in AEW was far too hot, and the old tale should mean that this return to WWE will be just right. At the age of 45, it’s more than likely that this will be Punk’s final big run in wrestling before the natural wear-and-tear catches up to him and forces him to be a stay-at-home-dad for his dog Larry.
So with all that being said, I’m a firm believer that wrestling is better off with Punk in it. Much like his old friend Paul Heyman, it’s better to have Punk in the castle p***ing out than out of the castle p***ing in, so let’s enjoy it while we can because when it comes to Philip Jack Brooks and professional wrestling, anything can happen.
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