CM Punk Returns to WWE at Survivor Series in Chicago After 9 Years Following AEW Exit

Michael Kovac/Getty Images for IMDb

CM Punk has made his return to WWE after nine years away from the promotion.

Punk began his career with WWE in 2005 after he was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling, the developmental promotion at the time. He made the move to ECW one year later and became its champion.

In 2008, he was drafted to the Raw brand and embarked on a sensational six-year run that included three World Heavyweight Championships, two WWE Championships, the tag team titles and more accolades.

Punk was one of the hottest wrestlers in recent memory in 2011, when his rivalry with John Cena took center stage. His shoot interview on a June 27 edition of Raw in which he went after Cena, Vince McMahon, Triple H and The Rock is still one of the most notorious moments in the show’s history.

Punk later took down Cena at Money in the Bank for the WWE title in front of his hometown crowd in Chicago in what’s, arguably, the best match of his career.

He stayed with WWE for three years but ultimately decided to leave. There were no reported issues between Punk and WWE before he departed. Instead, the reasoning was as follows, per Punk’s comments on an episode of the Art Of Wrestling (h/t William Windsor of Wrestling Inc.).

“I was sick and hurt, and sick and tired, and burnt out, and I walked,” he said. “And I can do that because I’m an independent contractor.”

Punk signed a contract with UFC and fought twice in 2016, losing via first-round knockout to Mickey Gall and unanimous decision against Mike Jackson. He later worked as a special guest and contributor on WWE Backstage in 2019.

He made his long-awaited return to wrestling with All Elite Wrestling in 2021. He made waves during his short tenure with the company, notably winning the AEW World Championship twice and engaging in a heated on-screen feud with MJF.

However, his tenure wasn’t without controversy. He got suspended in Sept. 2022 after a heated press conference and an ensuing confrontation.

“At the AEW post All Out 2022 media scrum, CM Punk addressed several topics including reports that he got Colt Cabana fired from AEW and sent to ROH [Ring of Honor], the role of The Young Bucks in leaking that information, and his issues with Hangman Page going into business for himself during the build to their match for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing in May. Punk was seated next to AEW CEO and booker Tony Khan.”

Punk sat from Sept. 2022 to June 2023 after suffering a torn tricep. Two months later, his AEW career was over after president Tony Khan terminated his contracts with the company following a reported backstage incident with Jack Perry at AEW All in London on Aug. 27.

For his part, Khan told fans prior to AEW Collision the next day that he had felt “threatened.”

“I’ve been going to wrestling shows for over 30 years,” Khan said. “I’ve been producing them on this network for nearly four years. Never, in all that time, have I ever felt until last Sunday that my security, my safety, my life was in danger at a wrestling show. I don’t think anybody should feel that way at work.”

With that, the AEW door shut for Punk, but the WWE one has swung back open.

Per a Nov. 6 Fightful Select report (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), the 45-year-old told people close to him that he wasn’t working toward a WWE contract, nor did he plan on appearing at Survivor Series, which was taking place in his hometown of Chicago on Saturday.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter then reported on Friday that there was no evidence he’d appear at Survivor Series.

However, plans have clearly changed, and Punk is now back in WWE.

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