A Hall of Famer was expecting to see Brock Lesnar over CM Punk at Survivor Series WarGames.
On the November 22nd edition of SmackDown, fans were left stunned to witness the surprise return of Paul Heyman and the shocking addition of Punk to Roman Reigns’ Bloodline.
However, Hall of Famer Rikishi was left even more surprised, as he expected The Beast Incarnate to come back. While Reigns and Punk share a history, The Second City Saint and Paul Heyman even go back longer.
Speaking on his Off The Top podcast, Rikishi praised Punk’s money-drawing ability but still pondered over the choice of Punk into the feud over Brock Lesnar.
I don’t know. I mean, really? CM Punk? I didn’t see that coming a mile away, I really didn’t. I don’t know. With Paul being out and that phone call from Roman calling Paul, he didn’t pick up, I would have probably thought that it would have been somebody like Brock Lesnar. I don’t know. With CM Punk, he’s just such a big asset to the company as far as being able to help draw people to the arenas and the pay-per-view.
I just kind of seen CM Punk off by himself. I’m speaking as a promoter vibe. To put my best hitters out there to be able to sell this thing, and numbers, I’m a numbers guy. Then I’m just thinking, wow, it just fits, if in case, where was Paul at?
Then out comes Brock Lesnar. So this caught me off-guard with CM Punk. I don’t know.”
H/t Fightful.com
While Lesnar could have been a good addition to the feud, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion is currently away from WWE since SummerSlam 2023. He was also rumored to return at Royal Rumble 2024, but Lesnar’s involvement in the Vince McMahon-Janel Grant lawsuit sidelined him further.
Paul Heyman Comments On Brock Lesnar’s WWE Return
In an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Paul Heyman addressed Brock Lesnar’s possible return. Heyman refused to share anything about Lesnar’s life and emphasized maintaining privacy. However, he stated the following when discussing his potential comeback.
“I don’t really put any thought into that at this time because it’s not a subject that is going to resolve itself by Survivor Series or by the end of the year, therefore it is not on the radar of things to address.”
In other news: A WWE couple has welcomed their second child into the world.
In a new interview, one WWE star was underwhelmed by CM Punk’s return.