Triple H, and presumably, by extension, his real-life best friend, Shawn Michaels, are two names that you’d probably be least expecting to be open to welcoming CM Punk back to the WWE. But, in recent months, these two have been vocal in welcoming the former WWE superstar back to his former home with open arms.
In particular, The WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative had high praise for the Chicago native in a recent media call, saying that he “always enjoyed working with Phil” and that he “understood him,” even referring to CM Punk as “a guy that does numbers and makes money.”
This comes months after it was reported that CM Punk had spoken to Triple H backstage when the WWE was in Chicago ahead of his official return to AEW.
CM Punk’s contentious history with wrestling promotions isn’t a secret. Most recently, the AEW fired Punk following a real-life altercation with Jack Perry. Before this incident, the AEW had suspended CM Punk due to a similar incident a year prior against The Elite. Yet, as Michaels has made it clear, CM Punk is someone who draws in crowds, which explains why he’s the hottest free agent in professional wrestling to date.
The last we heard from CM Punk was at the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, where he joined in a commentary role and said that he’s free for “the next two months.”
If we assume that CM Punk was referring to his non-compete clause lasting until late October, the earliest the WWE can welcome the 44-year-old veteran back is in November, just in time for Survivor Series. But, if we’re being honest, Triple H and the rest of WWE’s creative team are likely thinking of making him appear for the first time on the November 24 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, which will be held at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. This would mean that he could potentially be a late entry to Survivor Series on November 25. This would guarantee that CM Punk gets the loudest pop ever from his hometown crowd.
Curiously enough, Michael Cole referenced an old CM Punk promo from his Ring of Honor days while interviewing Seth Rollins on Monday Night RAW just a week after Rollins referred to himself as “the best in the world.” Thus, this begs the question, is Heel Punk joining the Red Team as the next contender for the World Heavyweight Championship?
Numbers-wise, this would make sense. With Cody Rhodes presumably set to leave Monday Night RAW to permanently join Friday Night SmackDown and finally finish his story by beating Roman Reigns, Jey Uso alone can’t replace his star power. This is where CM Punk would come in. If we assume that Shinsuke Nakamura’s time as the top contender for the premiere title belt in RAW has come to an end, having both Jey Uso and CM Punk take turns breaking down Rollins that may lead up to a potential three-way match at a later PLE.
We can envision the WWE throwing The Bloodline into the mix, leading to a potential John Cena match against Solo Sikoa at the Lincoln Financial Field with Jimmy vs Jey likely also on the cards. This leaves Rollins vs Punk as the highlight match of Night 1 of next year’s showcase of the Immortals. This showdown in a hardcore wrestling city like Philadelphia at the Grandest Stage of Them Will could potentially steal the spotlight over the presumed Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes rematch in Night 2.
As this is the first WrestleMania following the merger, the WWE will throw everything at the wall that’s most likely to stick. CM Punk, following his controversial AEW run, is a name that will help elevate the event even further. At the same time, this will be an opportunity for CM Punk to silence his critics and doubters as well.
It remains to be seen if WWE’s recent teases will amount to something and if it will even lead to a match with Rollins. If this happens, WrestleMania 40 is guaranteed to be a banger of a show, regardless of whether The Rock is involved or not.
