Did CM Punk always have the intention of coming back to WWE?
A few days removed from Survivor Series, the dust has finally settled and the news has sunk into wrestling fans around the world, CM Punk is back in WWE. While at one point Punk coming back to the promotion he left in 2014 seemed to be a near impossibility, especially when he signed with AEW in 2021, Booker T believes that Punk realised he made a mistake very early on.
Speaking on the Hall of Fame podcast, the former King of the Ring addressed the “I’m home” promo Punk cut on the following episode of Raw. Considering some of the things Punk has said about the promotion in the past 9 years, Booker T admitted this line did come as a bit of a shock:
“According to CM Punk … he’s back home. “I was surprised to hear that.”
Back in AEW, Punk and MJF had a promo exchange where Punk stated that if MJF believes that the grass is greener in the rival company then he should leave and “main event night 4 of a buy one get one free extravaganza.” During the infamous All Out 2022 press conference, Punk referenced this again while commenting on MJF’s shock return at the pay-per-view, stating that the grass is not greener on the other side but it’s only greener where you water it.
In reference to these comments, Booker T believes that Punk quickly discovered that in some places you can keep watering all you want but the grass still won’t grow:
“In certain places, like in Arizona, you can water that damn grass all day long and it ain’t gonna turn green,” Booker chuckled. “Maybe CM Punk figured that out after a minute being in AEW, working with certain guys.”
Reflecting on his own experiences, the Hall of Famer compared Punk’s journey to his own where he thought that there would be better opportunities in TNA, but quickly discovered that he regretted his choice and also made his way back to WWE.
CM Punk Not Expected To Reference Previous Company
When asked why he thought Punk had returned, Booker T stated that it had nothing to do with revenge against AEW and was just about business:
“It’s business,” Booker said. “This has nothing to do with anything other than numbers.”
Some fans were surprised that Punk’s return promo was so tame and had no subtle or direct shots at AEW. According to a new report, CM Punk is not expected to make any references to AEW on WWE TV.
H/t to Wrestling Inc.