Surprises and unexpected twists are what keep fans on the edge of their seats in the stimulating world of professional wrestling. But nobody ever anticipated the unbelievable comeback of the great CM Punk in the latest Survivor Series.
Chicago fans were taken aback when, at Survivor Series, Punk (Phillip Jack Brooks) made a phenomenal comeback to the WWE, his first appearance in more than nine years. The professional wrestler, 45, returned to WWE television on November 27th’s Raw episode, saying in a post-event promo that WWE is “where [he] belongs” and that he was “home”. As the show came to an end, he stood to the thunderous applause of his hometown fans.
CM Punk: WWE Superstar Makes A Surprise Return At Survivor Series
CM Punk made a spectacular comeback to the WWE at the conclusion of the Survivor Series, following a nearly ten-year hiatus. We learned from US Today that the crowd went insane when the WWE hero returned to Allstate Arena after the men’s WarGames match ended with “Cult of Personality” blasting through the speakers.
For the first time since January 2014, Punk performed in front of a WWE crowd. He began with his trademark ‘It is clobbering time’ and then joined some of the audience members in celebrating his return.
NEVER. SAY. NEVER.@CMPunk has just returned to WWE at #SurvivorSeries!!! pic.twitter.com/0dpG6vyT5r
— WWE (@WWE) November 26, 2023
For the unheard, he signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2021 to resume his wrestling career following his 2014 retirement. There, he won the AEW World Championship twice. However, he was fired from AEW in September 2023 due to backstage issues; two months later, he rejoined WWE.
Although Punk’s return to the ring for competition is still unknown, it would be one of his biggest comebacks for WWE in recent memory. During the press conference following the event, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque stated (via US Today) that the decision to bring Punk back was made at the last minute and that
“It did not come to fruition until everyone thought it was not going to happen. This is one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments that came together quickly.”
Punk has consistently been portrayed as a straight-edge, contentious, outspoken, and anti-establishment figure, most of which are based on his real-life self.
He Addresses His First WWE Appearance in Nearly A Decade
Finally, CM Punk is home. When the returning star took the stage at the conclusion of Raw to deliver his first speech since joining the company, he said exactly those things. Punk’s first comment was:
“Looks like hell froze over. I didn’t know how I was gonna react and I didn’t know how it was gonna go but this made me feel like my old self, because this is where I belong.In over 10 years, you people never forgot me even when maybe I wanted to forget me. That’s powerful. You are all powerful.”
"I'm home." – @CMPunk#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/Apkcthr0iT
— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2023
Punk made his first appearance on Raw on Monday since he lost to Billy Gunn in January 2014. While acknowledging that people are scared of what “the most dangerous and controversial, feared man” in the business could do in the WWE, he made it clear what he wanted to accomplish on his comeback. He shared:
“I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make money.”@CMPunk is BACK!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/JNs7M4xV1t
— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2023
In 2014, Punk abruptly left WWE after growing disillusioned with the organization and essentially stopped competing in wrestling.
After re-entering the professional wrestling scene in 2021, he signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and went on to win two AEW World Championships. However, amid backstage controversy, he was fired from AEW in September 2023, and two months later, he signed with WWE again.
Also Read: CM Punk: John Cena Has Very Little Set Moves In The Ring – “He does five things and that’s it”
