CM Punk is the talk of the town once again, as virtually every outlet has reported what they've heard regarding he and WWE.
Roll call. We're here.
WWE feels confident that CM Punk would come to WWE.
CM Punk’s termination from AEW led to questions about his future, including the possibility of a return to WWE. We’ve learned of what some within WWE think. WWE higher ups fully believe that CM Punk would sign with the company if they had interest. In the past year, we’ve heard that Punk had been open to the idea. But WWE sources think the ball is in their court.
As of two weeks ago, nobody within WWE had indicated that CM Punk and the company had talks. In late September, we were told that it appeared there were feelers out from Punk to WWE to see if there was any interest there. One WWE employee as of last month advised someone close to Punk that talking to Vince McMahon directly would have been the best courses of action to secure a return to the company. In the past, we're told Vince McMahon was adamant to Fox that he wasn't interested in bringing Punk back, though Fox had been pushing for it before he went to AEW.
Multiple sources we spoke to near Punk believe would in fact sign with WWE.
There is still a ton of heat on CM Punk in WWE, with plenty of it stemming from his last run almost ten years ago. Sources familiar with the situation believe that many of them would be consulted in the event Punk would return to WWE, as to prevent anything similar to what happened multiple times in All Elite Wrestling.
One top star said that Punk knows "he wouldn't be able to pull any of his shit here. There's nobody here he could jump without getting his ass handed to him." When we brought up that WWE would likely want to talk to top talent about Punk coming in, that same person said the talk really needed to be with Punk. Another top talent said that they believe Triple H wouldn't risk the negativity that Punk would bring, but then did recall that it wouldn't be the first time that he's brought someone in with baggage since being in control. The general feeling we got was that Punk would need to make good with a number of influential talent in general.
Within AEW, one top star said that before Brawl Out happened, Punk would still verbalize how much he didn't like WWE, Triple H and Vince McMahon, and would be surprised if he went back there. Another that now he's in a "much less forgiving situation from a career perspective."
We've spoken to several top stars within WWE, and a number of names in creative. To be clear, thus far nobody has been told anything on the talent or creative end about Punk coming back to WWE. When we asked about the teases that pick up steam on social media, the claim adamantly that those were not meant to tease a CM Punk return, though it's not impossible they could be played off of in the future to generate buzz. In the day since publication, that's harder to believe. We spoke to various people in the know regarding future plans, and almost nobody has been clued in on a potential Punk return. One source in creative said that there are enough CM Punk promos and interviews that anything could be stretched into a CM Punk reference.
Sources that are close with Punk have been open about his interest in returning to WWE, with one outright saying that if there was WWE interest, he would go back to the company. There was also a source that said they believed that it was actively being worked on. There is a very big elephant in the room in that both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have verbalized in the past that they aren't fond of Punk. Most people on both sides believe there would need to be fences mended there in order to make a successful return happen.
One WWE source was steadfast in their belief that when Punk appeared at WWE Raw backstage earlier this year, he was looking to get his job back. Based on how that experience went, they aren't of the belief it's in the cards. Others we spoke to thought him appearing there was more to create allies, as there had already been some bumps in the road towards his eventual AEW return.
Another discussion has been about the workload. Punk took great pride in being at work every week within AEW, and his salary was above what a lot of stars high up on the WWE card are making to work full-time as well. WWE sources we spoke to felt like Punk's leverage isn't what it was four months, 14 months or three years ago as a result, and that could play a big factor in negotiations regarding schedule and pay if he does come back.
In case you wondered, it seems like the IMPACT locker room would be in favor of him appearing there, as he made a good impression visiting backstage months ago. That's highly unlikely, but still an option.
We reached out to CM Punk and did not hear back.
The TL:DR -- nobody in WWE has been told that a return is happening, and most top talent are opposed to it. However, they don't feel it's an impossibility, and both those close to Punk and WWE believe Punk would do it, but there are fences to mend.
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