CM Punk on What Led to His WWE Return

Former WWE Champion CM Punk is gearing up for his in-ring return at SummerSlam next week, where he will face Drew McIntyre. This year, Punk and McIntyre have sparked a heated rivalry in WWE. Despite this, many once considered the chance of seeing Punk back in WWE highly unlikely.

Punk left WWE in 2014 due to dissatisfaction with his creative direction. WWE famously fired him on his wedding day, creating significant bad blood between them. Later that year, Punk and WWE entered a legal battle after he discussed his departure on the “Art of Wrestling” podcast.

CM Punk’s wrestling comeback in 2021 with AEW was scarred by backstage controversies. After two high-profile altercations, one with The Elite and another with Jack Perry, AEW terminated his contract last September. 

Surprisingly, Punk returned to WWE last November at Survivor Series, shocking fans in his hometown of Chicago. Despite suffering a Royal Rumble injury, Punk has remained a prominent figure on WWE programming, continuing his heated rivalry with Drew McIntyre. He will face McIntyre in their highly anticipated match at WWE SummerSlam next week.

A few years ago, CM Punk’s return to WWE seemed highly improbable. Now, his comeback is a reality. Recently, Punk revealed that former Chairman Vince McMahon’s exit played a key role in his return.

CM Punk reveals Vince McMahon’s exit paved his way back to WWE

In 2022, Vince McMahon, WWE’s former chairman, abruptly retired amid a scandal involving hush money payments. However, he made a surprising return to the WWE early the following year. This brief return ended in early 2024 when a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct forced McMahon to relinquish his board position and sell his remaining stocks of the promotion.

Recently, CM Punk appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con. During an interview with Denise Salcedo, he revealed how Vince McMahon’s exit played a major role in his return to WWE. He stated, “never a thing I was yearning to do. There were a lot of things that had to happen for that pathway to kind of clear. The stars had to align, there had to be a full moon. A lot of dominos fell in order for us to get here. Vince being out of picture…I think probably illuminated the way. I think that might have been one of the biggest things. And that was both ways. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t him, it was…there’s a lot of history there. All of a sudden, one of us got removed from the equation and it changed a lot of things.”

A few months ago, in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Punk also discussed how WWE President Nick Khan played a role in convincing him to return. Recent news has also emerged about CM Punk’s contract status. After returning, Punk signed a three-year deal, which keeps him with the WWE until 2026. According to PWInsider, Punk and WWE are now negotiating a new deal that would be “bigger” than his current contract.