Like Him or Hate Him, CM Punk Gets People Talking — And That’s What WWE Wants
So, yeah, I’m a wrestling fan. I grew up watching the likes of Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage in the 80s. I’m not an avid fan and don’t really follow around Dave Metzler like a god (and for good reason), but I do enjoy partaking in WWE and AEW shows as much as the next fan. Hell, I even went to WWE NXT live tapings a couple of times, and will definitely be back again in the new year.
But one thing that got a lot of people talking over the weekend was the return of CM Punk to WWE. Also known as Phil Brooks, Punk has been a questionable figure in wrestling over the past few years.
After an impressive start on the indie scene, he came to WWE a few years back, where he left his mark across a number of matches. However, he decided to part — controversially — after not agreeing with certain things run by Vince McMahon and Triple H. A legal fallout followed, but Punk eventually went off to do his own thing.
A little while back, he debuted in AEW to a standing ovation and a mostly positive crowd. He had a few good matches, but soon found himself in hot water again after making controversial comments about veteran wrestlers like Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. This led to a scuffle and, eventually, him going off to do his own show, AEW Collision, when he returned.
The peace didn’t last, however. After being called out by “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry earlier this year (over “real glass”), Punk got in a fight with him and even lunged at AEW President Tony Kahn. This led to his dismissal from the company, and fans were sure he’d probably do something on the indie circuit for a while.
Until this past Saturday came around.
Following a victory by the team of Cody Rhodes and company at WWE Survivor Series Wargames, the show was about to go off the air when Punk came out to probably one of the loudest ovations in WWE history. He simply came out to celebrate with the fans — for the first time in nearly a decade, he was back.
Of course, not everyone was pleased about it. Seth Rollins flipped him off and threatened to fight him (it’s a work, but it looked great); Drew McIntyre stormed off and even left the arena; and Rhea Ripley was less than thrilled. So, of course, not everyone is happy.
Triple H apparently mended fences with Punk, leading to his return. But the interesting thing here is what will happen next. Many believe his run in the WWE won’t last long and he’ll be off to the indies after; others believe this could be the final chapter in his career.
Me personally? I’m not a huge fan of his, but he’s a great wrestler and he has some terrific moments over the course of his career, including the awesome “pipe bomb” he dropped a few years ago when he told it like it was about Vince McMahon and “The Rock” without holding back (with a wave to Colt Cabana). But, yeah, there are some wrestlers I like better.
Hell, I’m not even sure if Triple H even likes CM Punk. But here’s the thing. He gets people talking. He gets attention. Good or bad. And that’s what WWE wants.
Right now, WWE’s trying to win back fans after everything Vince has done over the years (and he’s finally on his way out, thank pete), and with the TKO merger with UFC. So, yeah, they bring in Punk and just when you think they’ve figured out the answers, they change the questions, to say the least.
The Punk debut got millions of hits on YouTube and had fans everywhere talking, believing that the “cold day in hell” has finally arrived. Even Trips acknowledged it on social media, with a picture of Punk with the two of them pretty happy.
So, yeah, it’ll be interesting to see where this goes. But WWE isn’t stupid. This new direction they’re taking is a surprising one, and it’ll result in a nice spike in ratings, and a lot more discussion on social media. Who knows how long it’ll last, but it’ll definitely work in its favor.
As for Punk, it’ll be interesting to see what he has to say on Raw tonight. I still recall him debuting in AEW and basically writing off his days in WWE like they were nothing. I’m sure he’ll have some interesting stuff to say to kind of change that perspective — and maybe Rollins will come out and plant more of those precious seeds headed into their inevitable feud.
I just hope that one thing came out of this deal — that we finally get our ice cream bars back. WWE, it’s time.
Have a good week, everyone!
