When it seemed like CM Punk would finally stick to All Elite Wrestling, The Best in the World again dropped potential hints about something unexpected in the near future. A few weeks ago, on Monday Night Raw, it was reported that the two-time WWE Champion was present backstage.
The Red Brand’s show for the last week took place at Allstate Arena in Chicago, which is the hometown of CM Punk. Hence, he traveled on the same flight as many WWE superstars as well as officials. He also visited the venue and was present in the area for around 20 minutes.
Fightful Select has revealed further details about the interaction between Triple H and CM Punk, revealing that Punk was looking to have a short chat with the WWE Chief Content Officer. Triple H was surprised that Punk was at the Allstate Arena and they briefly spoke after… pic.twitter.com/sc7Ykpp9IU
— Covalent TV (@TheCovalentTV) April 25, 2023
The reports have stated that The Voice of the Voiceless also had conversations with the likes of Triple H and The Miz. Hence, it’s fair to say that CM Punk had a positive and fun time at the Allstate Arena with his former colleagues.
After what happened at Raw, numerous rumors about The Best in the World’s WWE return have caught fire. According to a few reports, Vince McMahon wasn’t available backstage at Raw but he was remotely controlling the show. Hence, it’s revealed that the former WWE CEO asked Punk to leave the arena as he’s under contract with AEW.
CM Punk met with Tamina at the sight of #WWERAW tonight in Chicago (vid cred unknown) pic.twitter.com/FFRlhmEPgc
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) April 24, 2023
Although The Best in the World’s return to the biggest pro wrestling promotion currently seems unlikely, we can’t rule out all the possibilities, especially when Vince McMahon has a hand in the creatives.
Consequently, most of the rumors are just assumptions, as CM Punk can make his AEW return at the new Saturday show. Tony Khan has been looking forward to crafting a new weekly show named “AEW Collision” starring the former WWE Champion.
What was the reason behind CM Punk leaving WWE?
The Voice of the Voiceless walked out of WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble. He was eliminated by Kane in the infamous 30-men Royal Rumble match, which was won by Batista.
“The feeling in WWE was that he (CM Punk) was there because he wanted back. Whether thats true or not, I have no idea
Obviously there were talks of him going back, whatever it was, late last year. But he couldn’t go because he was still under contract.”
– Dave Meltzer
(via WOR) pic.twitter.com/IK0bAVoQb6— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) April 25, 2023
CM Punk was very unhappy with his booking in the promotion. He also revealed that Triple H lied to him about the lead role in the movie “12 Rounds: Reloaded“. The Chicago Boy was replaced in the film by Randy Orton following WWE‘s European tour.
Another reason Punk left the company was the gruesome injuries he suffered, which nearly took his life. He had a huge infectious lump on his back, that required serious attention, but Punk never took time off for healing.