Phil Brooks, better known by his wrestling name CM Punk, made a shocking return to the WWE at the end of the Survivor Series pay per view on November 25, 2023. It was the first time he entered a WWE arena since 2014, which was in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois to make it that much sweeter.
CM Punk is widely regarded as one of the most popular wrestlers during his first run with the WWE, especially during his last three years with the company. His attitude and many “pipe bombs” as people referred to them greatly helped CM Punk get over with fans. So much so that there was even a point where his merchandise was selling more than John Cena’s which by that point was unheard of. Unfortunately however for Punk his first run with the company did not end on good terms.
As stated by Punk on a podcast titled, “The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cobana,” Punk grew frustrated with the company and more specifically with the company’s owner, Vince Mcmahon due to the way they were treating him. On the podcast, he stated how he felt what they were doing with him did not make any sense as they constantly had him be the guy who would lose to a part-timer when he was the one who was going to “be there the next day.” Punk was mostly referring to him having to lose to The Rock, The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 28, and Brock Lesnar, all of which wouldn’t return for months while CM Punk remained almost every week. This caused Punk to believe that his “stock” was dropping in the eyes of the “casual viewer.”
Another huge reason for CM Punk leaving the WWE was his health. On the same podcast as mentioned earlier, Punk stated that he had to wrestle only three months after getting knee surgery. He was also put in matches with what he believed to be dangerous opponents who also injured him, one of those opponents being the wrestler known as Ryback who broke Punk’s ribs with a kick. The worst injury that he suffered through however was a staph infection that he received that the WWE doctors refused to treat despite Punk’s demands. His injuries as well as him not receiving a main event match at Wrestlemania, which was his ultimate career goal, led to a screaming match between him and Vince McMahon. All of this led up to a two month suspension which then turned into a termination later that Punk received on his wedding day.
After his termination from the WWE, Punk stated publicly that he would never return to professional wrestling. He would instead turn to the UFC, which didn’t last very long. For a while, Punk was out of the public eye until a surprise appearance on a WWE program, WWE Backstage. Although it was exciting to see Punk back in a WWE program, him returning to a WWE ring was still very unlikely. However, Punk did eventually make a return to professional wrestling albeit with a different company.
In 2021, CM Punk joined a company that was currently on the rise called All Elite Wrestling (AEW). AEW was the company that held many former WWE Superstars including Daniel Bryan, Jon Moxley (formerly known in WWE as Dean Ambrose), and Chris Jericho. Punk was very successful in AEW, even winning the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. His success however wouldn’t last very long as he was unfortunately fired due to a backstage altercation in September of 2023.
With Punk being fired from AEW, speculation of a WWE return was in the air. But there was no evidence of any possibility of CM Punk returning to the WWE until the weeks leading up to the Survivor Series pay per view which would be held in his hometown, Chicago, Illinois. Luckily for fans, the rumors held true as in a night with multiple Superstar returns such as Randy Orton and R-Truth, CM Punk made his long awaited comeback and received a standing ovation. It was truly a moment that allowed WWE fans to let out both a sigh of relief and a scream of excitement.
Punk has since signed a contract to be exclusive to Monday Night Raw and entered the Royal Rumble Match, ultimately being eliminated by Cody Rhodes at the end. During the match however he suffered an injury during the match that he has since announced would keep him from wrestling at Wrestlemania 40. As unfortunate as this news is, at the very least fans were able to see one of the most popular wrestlers of all time perform again and hopefully it won’t be the last time.
