Sure, it’s a big statement, but…was CM Punk’s return the best kept secret in WWE history?
In this day and age of social media and constant leaks no matter how hard you try to avoid them…it was up there.
Granted my memory isn’t superb. But I’d rank this up there with Matt and Jeff Hardy returning at WrestleMania…or Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker’s streak.
One was a return, one was a happening that, well, no one really expected to see happen.
And on November 25th, 2023, fans got something they’ve been chanting for, off and on, since Punk delivered his pipe bomb and walked out.
On that chilly Saturday in Chicago…CM Punk walked back in.
And with everything so many reliable sources had been feeding us for the weeks and months leading up to this night…I ask…
Was CM Punk’s return the best kept secret in WWE history?
The timeline by now is pretty well known, but a little recap.
A bit more than a year ago, Punk got injured and suspended, and there was a lot of talk that AEW might just cut CM Punk loose because of the All Out Brawl.
They didn’t. He came back, but didn’t make it too long before the issues came to a head in England, and in September Tony Khan fired Punk.
The Unemployed CM Punk Speaks Out
Immediately, people were asking “would WWE want Punk back?” and “Would Punk want to go back?”.
But, we already knew there was some level of interest. Punk, after all, is said to have put feelers out during his suspension. And then there was his interesting visit to a prior RAW in Chicago, which was cut short for reasons.
With all that said…there were plenty of teasers on WWE television in the last couple months.
Superstars were using lines that were easily linked to Punk. Even if they weren’t lines that only Punk could or would use. Announcers too.
And yet, many key sources swore up and down that to that point there had been no talks, no agreements, nothing between WWE and CM Punk.
Like, as recently as the morning before Survivor Series, sources like Fightful maintained that there was no indication of a Punk return looming.
Just a lot of wishful thinking and epic trolling.
Like, when Sami and Jey discussed, early into the show, that Randy wasn’t there yet? The CM Punk chants started…and they closed the show, too.
Because, as you expected the camera to fade to black following Orton’s drawn out return and his team’s victory…Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality” hit.
And just like that Orton’s epic pop was dwarfed by the hometown love for Phil Brooks.
As a fan, and as someone who spends a ton of time looking for and writing about possible spoilers, this was epic.
For the first time in a long time, it was something that made a lot of sense. It seemed so likely, and yet all of the sources were saying…not likely.
Like, when Cody came back, even though Rhodes was tight-lipped about it…it was the worst kept secret out there.
Big moment, but everyone expected it.
This one? Tons of fans wanted it. They hoped for it, chanted for it. But there was a lot of stuff out there telling us to not get our hopes up.
Yet…we did…and CM Punk delivered to close the show, and gave us perhaps the best kept secret in WWE history.
Or, if that is too much hyperbole for you, it is quite possibly the best surprise in WWE during the era of social media.
As we learned from Fightful shortly after Punk’s return…this came together fast.
Seems there was a call between Punk and Triple H within the last week to get things done.
Hunter said during the presser that people change. Everyone isn’t the same as they were a decade ago…alluding to past issues that are now…in the past.
He also mentioned he had no pressure from TKO. In fact, some probably learned it was happening as it happened.
I can’t help but wonder if the excitement from fans, plus AEW deciding to run head to head, made Triple H go for it.
As Cody said…if it’s a hungry CM Punk, it will be good for business. And, as many have noted…the WWE locker room doesn’t let things get out of hand like a frat house.
Where things go from here we just don’t know…but buckle up fans, because this truly is a different WWE!
