CM Punk is one of the most controversial figures in pro-wrestling history. In this one-of-a kind video, we take you on an intriguing journey of CM Punk's return to professional wrestling, focusing on the missed opportunities and challenges he faced during his time in AEW. Join us as we explore the key moments that led to CM Punk's decision to make a triumphant return to WWE, shedding light on how AEW's handling may have played a role in this unexpected turn of events. Whether you're a wrestling fan or simply curious about the dynamics of the industry, this analysis provides valuable insights into the fascinating world of sports entertainment. How AEW Failed CM Punk Before His Epic WWE Return
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You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#cmpunk #aew #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Welcome to the revolution!
00:03 Survivor Series 2023 sold out in Chicago, Illinois.
00:09 Team Cody had just won War Games in a big double cage showdown with the Judgment Day.
00:16 Celebrating in their main event glory and that's when the arena resonated with the familiar strains of
00:25 cult of personality by living color. The crowd that had sold out the Rosemont Horizon Allstate Arena
00:34 poured out with explosive energy. He emerged the best in the world, the voice of the voiceless,
00:44 the biggest pro wrestler to ever come out of Chicago. CM Punk was back in WWE.
00:52 The audience erupted in sheer excitement. I was there. It is one of the loudest reactions I've ever heard
01:00 at a live pro wrestling show. It was a transformative instant moment considering that just two years prior
01:08 during his tenure with All Elite Wrestling Punk had said, quote, I was never going to get healthy physically,
01:15 mentally, spiritually staying at the same place that got me sick in the first place.
01:22 Implying that his previous run in WWE simply wasn't good for him in the long run.
01:28 This is Sportskeeda Wrestling. I'm Kevin. Give us your favorite matches and moments from CM Punk
01:38 in the comments below. This story starts in 2014 when CM Punk, one of the most popular pro wrestlers
01:45 in WWE, walked away from the company shortly following the Royal Rumble where he was injured.
01:52 He was eventually fired unceremoniously, officially getting the papers of his release on his wedding day.
01:59 CM Punk's departure from WWE marked the end of a highly successful and controversial tenure with the company
02:06 and his abrupt exit left fans wondering if they would ever see him in a wrestling ring again.
02:12 And whenever WWE events graced his hometown of Chicago or other markets with diehard fans,
02:18 the chants of CM Punk would reverberate loudly through the crowd.
02:23 They still wanted to see him out there in a WWE ring.
02:27 Shortly after leaving WWE, Punk finally broke his silence in a very in-depth and revealing interview
02:34 on Cult Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast where millions of people heard him express his dissatisfaction
02:42 with the company and other issues he was dealing with that led to him abruptly leaving the company.
02:49 Given these circumstances, fans felt that Punk would never come back to WWE
02:54 with the way he shared all the things he was enduring while he was there.
02:59 Punk would explore opportunities outside of pro wrestling, including in comic books, acting roles,
03:04 and another athletic passion of his, mixed martial arts.
03:08 With his star power, he was signed to the UFC and would suffer two losses inside the cage on major events.
03:16 While attempting to perfect his fight game and train for the second of those two fights,
03:20 he had another fight, one that was more consequential, in a courtroom in Cook County, Illinois in 2018.
03:28 Dr. Chris Amon, a then WWE ringside doctor who was criticized by Punk in that Art of Wrestling interview podcast,
03:36 pursued a defamation case against Punk along with Cult Cabana,
03:41 with deliberations and judgment coming down the exact week where he would have his second major MMA fight
03:47 in Chicago at the United Center.
03:50 It always comes back to Chicago, doesn't it?
03:53 Many people on the outside of this court case looking in on it perceived it as simply WWE vs CM Punk,
04:00 not so much Dr. Chris Amon vs CM Punk.
04:03 Punk, with a team of lawyers who he described as "badass women" who would text him at 3am with updates on the case,
04:09 would begin the grueling weight cut process that fighters go through during fight week,
04:14 while training for the cage and maintaining his mental stability for putting on that suit and going to the courthouse.
04:21 I knew reporters that were actually present in the courtroom when Kane testified in the case via video link,
04:29 where under oath he legitimately had to say that yes, he eliminated CM Punk from the 2014 Royal Rumble.
04:36 Yeah, they were talking about actual kayfabe wrestling things in a real court case.
04:41 And those same reporters tell me that CM Punk popped for this news.
04:45 After closing arguments and the jury got all of the evidence,
04:49 the ruling came down while CM Punk was getting lunch, called to the courtroom.
04:54 The emotions and the consequence of what this ruling could mean finally hit him.
04:59 Punk shared the intense emotions he was dealing with leading up to the ruling being announced in the courtroom
05:06 in an interview with Ariel Helwani, saying the following,
05:10 "When you were waiting for a judge to utter those words that literally decide the course of the rest of your life,
05:17 I didn't contemplate, 'Well, what happens if I lose?'
05:21 Because losing wasn't an option because of any other reason except because I told the truth."
05:28 And the news would come down that Coke Cabana was not guilty on all charges.
05:32 CM Punk was not guilty on all charges.
05:35 The relief hit him and relief hit his loved ones, including his wife and former WWE superstar AJ Lee.
05:43 He added, "I really feel like I can finally get on and move on with the rest of my life."
05:50 Around the same time, there was a movement within pro wrestling that had nothing to do with WWE
05:56 and was frankly the antithesis of WWE.
06:00 Led by the elite group of Maverick Wrestling stars, the Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes and others,
06:06 an all-star card of independent talents in suburban Chicago at the Sears Center
06:12 went down and sold out an arena for the first time,
06:16 a major sold-out arena wrestling event in North America that didn't have anything to do with WWE.
06:23 It was called All In, and this would set the pace for some other major things in pro wrestling.
06:30 This was just months after that whole courtroom victory for CM Punk.
06:35 So would he show up and be All In?
06:38 Punk himself would go on the record saying it wasn't happening.
06:41 Then, in 2019, a new wrestling company fully emerged from the fallout of All In.
06:48 Dubbed All Elite Wrestling and owned by NFL Jacksonville Jaguars team executive Tony Khan,
06:55 AEW came out as the fully financed, true alternative to WWE
07:01 with a big TV contract with Warner Bros. TNT Channel.
07:05 The company featured the biggest names that weren't in WWE,
07:09 Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes, The Bucks and Kenny Omega.
07:14 This felt fresh, this felt different, and it was getting a lot of traction
07:18 at a time when maybe some people were souring on WWE even though they were lifelong fans.
07:24 WWE stars started to jump ship to All Elite for maybe a more creative wrestling outlet.
07:31 This felt like the perfect place for CM Punk to start that new chapter
07:37 and do it with Tony Khan and this amazing roster.
07:41 They were keen on signing him.
07:43 The circulating reports, the speculation was mounting and building anticipation of
07:48 if CM Punk would potentially make the move to join All Elite Wrestling
07:54 and return to the world of pro wrestling in general.
07:57 And the moment of truth came through.
08:04 On August 20th, 2021, CM Punk made his return.
08:09 At the beginning of the broadcast, with no announcements prior,
08:13 an arena, the United Center, was sold out.
08:17 A seven-year hiatus had ended, he returned to a massive reaction.
08:22 The resounding chants of CM Punk reverberated through the Madhouse on Madison.
08:27 The same arena made famous by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls
08:31 became CM Punk's house.
08:34 Grown men were on camera, moved to tears, witnessing CM Punk
08:40 and a confirmation that his passion had returned to the pugilizing theater of pro wrestling.
08:48 Punk highlighted his departure from the wrestling world on August 13th, 2005,
08:53 only to return to real pro wrestling on August 20th, 2021,
09:00 ignoring his time in sports entertainment with WWE,
09:04 emphasizing that it maybe isn't a wrestling company.
09:08 As we mentioned earlier, he talked about how WWE really disappointed him.
09:13 This moment, this promo as it were, showed that there was a lot of bad blood
09:18 between him and WWE still.
09:20 But he didn't come to AEW just to bad mouth them.
09:24 No, he came to be involved in professional wrestling and push it to another level
09:29 telling dramatic stories once again.
09:32 He finally had his first wrestling match in seven years
09:35 with the young upstart Darby Allin at the upcoming AEW All Out event,
09:40 again in Chicago, in suburban Chicago to be specific,
09:44 and he managed to pick up the big win.
09:46 In the subsequent weeks that followed, Punk graced television screens
09:49 with numerous matches and initiated in a compelling feud
09:52 with a very street tough Eddie Kingston.
09:56 This is where the fans got invested in Punk as his feud with Eddie
09:59 was a short but effective one.
10:02 During the build up of it, Kingston cut a scathing promo on CM Punk
10:07 telling him that nobody wanted him in AEW,
10:10 a sentiment that would soon resonate with everyone in the company
10:15 in one way or another, and the debate around it would grow into something else.
10:21 We'll come to that later.
10:22 Punk and Kingston would have a bloody match at the Full Gear pay-per-view
10:26 where Punk would manage to scrape by the Mad King with the victory.
10:30 The next few months proved to be the best time for CM Punk in AEW
10:35 as he started a rivalry with one of the hottest talkers in the business,
10:39 one of the biggest villains in the business,
10:42 and the most anticipated foe people wanted to see him tangle with, MJF.
10:48 A riveting exchange of verbal jabs unfolded on an episode of Dynamite
10:53 during an unforgettable promo battle,
10:56 with both of them proving that they were still, yeah, really good on the mic.
11:01 With MJF audaciously asserting that CM Punk has never been the best in the world
11:07 and has always been second best,
11:10 the intensity escalated as the personal dimension of their feud took center stage.
11:16 The crescendo of the conflict reached its peak at Revolution 2022,
11:22 culminating in a dramatic, bloody, grisly dog collar match.
11:27 In this fierce encounter, Punk emerged triumphant over a young, brash Maxwell "Jakob" Friedman,
11:34 solidifying a chapter of his AEW tenure that showcased his ability
11:39 to tangle with yet another young superstar
11:42 and maybe even bring him up another level in the process.
11:46 It was time for Punk to go for a world title.
11:49 Hangman Adam Page was the reigning AEW World Champion at the time,
11:53 and he had defeated his former friend Kenny Omega at full gear
11:58 and was in the midst of a string of title reign victories.
12:01 Punk wanted to win the title and the match was official at Double or Nothing.
12:06 However, before the match unfolded,
12:09 Hangman unleashed a barrage of strong, heavily weighted words at Punk,
12:15 and in a controversial promo on Dynamite,
12:17 Page presented Punk as an outsider in AEW,
12:21 someone he was going to have to defend the company from.
12:25 The tension escalated when Hangman subtly referenced Colt Cabana,
12:31 who had been sidelined from television following Punk's return.
12:35 Yes, Colt was in All Elite Wrestling before Punk.
12:38 Punk and Cabana had documented legal issues
12:42 after the lawsuit with Chris Amann about who would pay the legal fees.
12:47 And some have accused Hangman of trying to infer
12:50 that Punk, in one way or another,
12:52 was trying to suppress Cabana's career in AEW.
12:55 And he was doing this all within the confines
12:58 of a kayfabe character-versus-character pro wrestling storyline segment.
13:03 Yeah.
13:04 This obviously harbored some resentment and discontenting feelings with CM Punk.
13:10 The best in the world emerged victorious at Double or Nothing,
13:13 clinching the AEW World Championship.
13:16 Unfortunately, his reign had been temporarily paused
13:18 due to a broken foot injury he would suffer shortly after the title victory.
13:23 But upon his return months later,
13:25 Punk and his receipts were ready for Hangman,
13:29 who some believe may have taken some type of
13:31 full-on straight shooting shots at Punk's face
13:35 during the title match where he lost the belt.
13:38 Punk, with the AEW World title in hand,
13:40 called out the cowboy without any apparent provocation.
13:44 It's worth noting, Hangman Adam Page wasn't in the building that night,
13:48 and in the candid moment, he delivered a message.
13:51 Quote, "A little bit of advice that I suggest you take.
13:55 The apology must be as loud and as public as the disrespect."
14:00 This unscripted move left fans puzzled,
14:04 adding intrigue to a layer of information that we had not seen unfold.
14:09 This narrative was going somewhere we didn't know publicly just yet,
14:13 and the frustrations were mounting backstage,
14:16 off camera, and away from a microphone.
14:19 The drama was just getting started.
14:22 During CM Punk's pause in action,
14:24 AEW had an interim world champion crowned in Jon Moxley.
14:29 He would squash Punk in a title unification match on television.
14:34 A questionable decision to the eyes of some,
14:37 and one that was just kind of setting up a storyline
14:40 where the two would face off once again for the title
14:42 at the AEW All Out pay-per-view event.
14:45 Punk dropping the title so quickly to some was just odd.
14:50 However, he did win it back at AEW All Out 2022,
14:55 and oh boy, the story got really weird after the match ended.
15:00 A match where CM Punk suffered a torn tricep.
15:04 So we already knew he wasn't again going to be able to run with the title
15:08 because of an untimely injury.
15:10 But what would happen next was what we were all paying attention to
15:14 at the post-show media scrum.
15:16 A sweaty, bloodied, injured AEW world champion CM Punk,
15:20 fueled with frustration, unleashed a verbal tirade at that press scrum.
15:26 The conversation started initially with journalist Nick Houseman,
15:29 who at no point brought up the names Colt Cabana or Hangman Page.
15:34 But Punk certainly brought them up, saying,
15:36 "What did I ever do in this world to get to deserve an empty-headed f**k,
15:41 dumb f**k like Adam Hangman Page to go out on national television
15:45 and f**king go into business for himself?"
15:48 That comment about going into business for himself
15:50 refers to Hangman's promo during their feud.
15:53 He even went after the executive vice presidents, the elite,
15:57 namely The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega,
16:00 and accused them of spewing lies to the media
16:03 that he got Colt Cabana fired in some way or reduced in AEW.
16:09 However, the controversy didn't end there.
16:12 As the media scrum continued to play out,
16:14 with other names from the roster taking questions from the media,
16:17 something else went down at the Sears Center.
16:20 A reported physical altercation ensued between CM Punk, the EVPs,
16:26 specifically The Bucks' Kenny Omega,
16:28 with other members of the AEW backstage team present.
16:33 It is clearly a very dark chapter in AEW history.
16:38 And in response, Tony Khan suspended all parties involved in the brawl,
16:42 stripping CM Punk of the AEW world title
16:46 and Kenny Omega and The Bucks of the Trios championship.
16:50 The aftermath of the infamous brawl out at All Out
16:53 further heightened tensions within the AEW ranks.
16:57 Chris Jericho on that same night reportedly approached Punk
17:00 and told him that he was a cancer to the locker room
17:03 and a detriment to the company.
17:05 In a podcast appearance that followed All Out,
17:08 Jon Moxley voiced his displeasure with the entire thing,
17:11 saying "I've never seen so much bulls**t drama in one place
17:14 in my entire f**king life."
17:16 Well, Punk wasn't certainly popular among some of his peers.
17:19 Speculation ran rampant among fans
17:22 as whispers circulated that CM Punk might not return to AEW
17:27 and instead maybe go somewhere else
17:30 that is a major televised wrestling promotion.
17:33 Adding fuel to the fire, Punk began sharing cryptic messages
17:36 on social media platforms,
17:38 keeping fans on edge and continuing to speculate.
17:43 In the spring of 2023, WWE was back in the Chicagoland area
17:48 at the famed Allstate Arena,
17:50 formerly known as the Rosemont Horizon,
17:53 the same arena CM Punk made famous with John Cena
17:56 at Money in the Bank.
17:58 So Punk decided to show up backstage
18:01 and say hi to some old friends.
18:03 And the response online was massive.
18:05 People were expecting him to make maybe a return to AEW,
18:08 but this put that all in doubt.
18:10 At the same time, there were major changes over at WWE.
18:14 Vince McMahon had recently stepped away from creative control.
18:17 There was also the looming deal of Endeavor going through
18:21 around WrestleMania 39,
18:23 transforming the ownership of the company under the TKL banner
18:27 and merging it with the UFC.
18:29 That was all to come.
18:31 CM Punk's backstage Monday Night Raw visit is an awkward one
18:34 because the rumors were mounting
18:36 of him making an AEW return around this time.
18:40 The Wrestling Observer Newsletter would report that CM Punk
18:44 was tabbed for a big return to AEW
18:47 for the launch of their new weekly TV show,
18:50 AEW Collision,
18:52 a Saturday night show which would premiere in,
18:55 guess where, we need a ticker at this point,
18:58 Chicago, Illinois at the United Center.
19:00 And CM Punk's return was the main attraction.
19:03 Yes, he was back in All Elite Wrestling
19:06 and the Collision show was reportedly designed to be his show
19:09 with a lot of his own creative influence
19:11 and maybe more of the CM Punk camp of wrestlers
19:15 and not so much the Elite camp of wrestlers.
19:18 This was a strategic move designed to prevent any potential classes
19:22 between Punk's camp and the Elite guys.
19:25 And even after his return,
19:27 the situation with the Elite was not sorted out
19:30 and the Elite essentially made a distance from him pretty clear.
19:35 It's often indicative that a place may not be the right fit
19:38 when there's lingering issues that have not yet been resolved
19:42 with those in positions of power.
19:44 And now Punk may have been in a position of power himself,
19:48 depending on how you see it.
19:49 However, the next chapter of this story
19:51 doesn't involve Punk taking on any executive vice presidents,
19:54 but someone else, Jungle Jack Perry.
19:57 Yeah, formerly known as Jungle Boy,
19:59 Jack Perry proposed to use real glass during a match,
20:03 a suggestion that raised concerns from CM Punk and others backstage
20:07 due to the potential risk of injury.
20:10 This difference in opinion led to a heated argument
20:12 between Punk and Perry at some point.
20:15 Despite Punk's reservations at All In,
20:18 AEW's biggest show, their defining event at Wembley Stadium in London,
20:23 their first time ever in London in front of the biggest crowd
20:27 they've ever had, 72,000, putting them on WWE's level.
20:32 Jack went ahead and used glass during a pre-show match against Hook.
20:38 To put it lightly, Perry didn't just start a fire,
20:40 he started a fire and then threw an entire tank of gasoline on it.
20:44 And to make it even more clear, Perry turned directly towards the camera
20:48 and said, "Real glass, cry me a river."
20:52 Well, at some point, Punk was aware of that backstage
20:55 because his match was set to go on first on the main pay-per-view card,
20:59 with him taking on Samoa Joe for the real AEW World Championship.
21:05 Reportedly, Punk was not happy about this
21:07 and decided to confront Perry when he returned to the backstage area after the match.
21:12 The two exchanged heated words, reportedly,
21:15 which turned into a physical altercation.
21:17 Just a few months following his return,
21:19 CM Punk found himself in yet another backstage situation
21:24 that didn't look good for everyone involved.
21:27 The incident occurred mere moments before Punk was scheduled to enter the ring
21:32 and open this massive show.
21:33 And unlike the previous occurrence,
21:35 Tony Khan took a decisive action and chose not to overlook it.
21:39 Punk was prominently terminated just a week later,
21:43 the day before AEW was supposed to return to, drumroll,
21:47 Chicago for the All Out Pay-Per-View.
21:50 A report was disclosed that Bryan Danielson, a prominent member of the AEW roster,
21:55 played a role in a disciplinary committee, which also included lawyers,
22:00 which ultimately recommended the dismissal of CM Punk
22:04 due to this backstage altercation with Jack Perry.
22:07 Punk's time in AEW was marked by a certain level of toxic negativity,
22:12 with wrestlers attempting to elevate their profiles by associating with him
22:16 or challenging him, whether in character or outside of it.
22:21 The assessment of Punk's run in AEW remains open for debate.
22:26 Regardless, it's undeniable that it delivered outstanding performances
22:30 in memorable matches against formidable opponents like Eddie Kingston, MJF,
22:36 and opened the doors for AEW to get new fans.
22:40 As one door shut, though, another swung open.
22:43 With his departure, fans were confident that CM Punk's journey would circle back to WWE.
22:50 The only lingering question was when this reunion would unfold,
22:54 and if maybe those bridges that were burned before could be mended.
22:59 Survivor Series 2023 marked the long-awaited return of CM Punk to WWE
23:06 after nearly a decade.
23:08 Stepping onto the Raw stage after the big show, he declared "I'm home,"
23:13 a sentiment that might have raised eyebrows for those who remembered his AEW return promo,
23:19 where he seemingly omitted his WWE history from his "pro wrestling career."
23:26 Despite the potential decisiveness of this, Punk's words felt undeniably authentic,
23:32 resonating deeply with fans.
23:35 However, not everyone in the WWE locker room shared the same sentiment.
23:41 Wrestlers like Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre were visibly displeased with his return.
23:47 The tension escalated when Rollins, who for years had bad blood with Punk on social media,
23:54 confronted him weeks later, expressing his hatred for Punk
23:59 and recounting the years of Punk's criticism against the company he was waving the flag for, WWE.
24:06 The confrontation heightened the anticipation for an impending in-the-ring clash,
24:12 injecting a new layer of excitement from reality to the real stage of theatrical pro wrestling.
24:19 Wow! Taking a real-life issue and making it into a storyline payoff? What a concept!
24:25 Punk also had some underrated moments in the ring on the microphone with Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes.
24:31 Speaking of Cody Rhodes, the two of them got to close out the 2024 Royal Rumble together,
24:36 and apparently Punk suffered some type of injury.
24:39 Once again, circumstances come up and his back is against the wall.
24:43 But one thing is for sure, this return for CM Punk feels more personal,
24:48 feels like something that comes in the aftermath of those turbulent times in AEW
24:53 and the negativity that came out of it.
24:55 This feels like a man reclaiming his mantle and his legacy on his terms on a big platform,
25:03 embodying the character of fighting spirit that resonated with fans years ago.
25:09 The motivated, rejuvenated CM Punk seems poised to make a meaningful contribution
25:15 to the pro wrestling or sports entertainment industry,
25:18 once again cherished in a position that fans are invested in.
25:23 Let's collectively see where CM Punk goes on this return,
25:28 this redemptive narrative unfolds in front of us on this grand stage of professional wrestling.
25:34 Even if he's not main eventing this year's WrestleMania,
25:38 CM Punk coming back to WWE has certainly moved the needle.
25:43 What do you think is next for CM Punk? Let us know in the comments below.
25:47 [music]
25:53 [positive music]