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In January 2014, CM Punk walked away from pro wrestling/sports entertainment following a 15-year association with the business and a nine-year spell in WWE.
Since then, he has given contrasting comments on a possible return to the squared circle, sometimes saying “never say never” and sometimes ruling out a comeback altogether, while he has mostly been focusing on his career in MMA over the last four years.
The five-time WWE world champion hit headlines last week when he competed in a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu tournament at the Chicago Grappling Games under his real name, Phil Brooks, and he finds himself in the news again this week after it was revealed that he participated in a pro wrestling event on Friday, April 19.
Although Punk did not compete in an official match, he interfered towards the end of an encounter between Ace Steel and Daryck St. Holmes at an MKE Wrestling show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With his face hidden under a mask and a hood over his head, he then struck St. Holmes with his trademark GTS, allowing Steel to get the win.
So, why did Punk return and what does the future hold for him in pro wrestling? Let’s take a look at four of the biggest questions that need answering following his surprise comeback.
#4 Was this person definitely CM Punk?
Two-time ROH World Television champion Silas Young, who is also the owner of MKE Wrestling, tweeted following Friday’s event that “a Punk showed up in a mask” during the show.
“Last night we held @MKE_Wrestling at the Knights of Columbus building in west allis the place was packed with 350 people. This place has had 25+ years of wrestling and is the place a lot of guys started. Guys like @ColtCabana as well as a Punk who showed up in a mask last night.”
If that is not proof enough that it was Punk who hit the GTS, then take a look at the picture from Brett Danner’s Instagram account below.
Danner was pictured alongside Punk at a wrestling tournament at West Allis Central High School in Milwaukee this weekend, and the wrestler-turned-MMA fighter is wearing the same hoodie as the person who hit the GTS in the MKE Wrestling video.
#3 Why did he return?
There are two main theories as to why CM Punk made his return in front of 350 people, as opposed to the tens of thousands he could attract if he officially competed again in an advertised encounter:
1) Ace Steel, the wrestler who won the match in question at the MKE Wrestling event, is credited with training Punk and Colt Cobana earlier in their careers. It was also the last show ever to be held at the Knights of Columbus in West Allis, WI – a venue where Punk used to wrestle.
2) Regarding his wrestling future, Punk told the Russillo & Kanell Show in 2016: "I could pop up here and there. Let me explain that to you even better: it's not going to even be televised, it's going to be me in a ninja f***** outfit wrestling one of my buddies and nobody's ever going to know. It's going to be very 'Monty Python,' so to speak."
Perhaps both of those theories are correct and, as Punk stated, he simply turned up to bid farewell to an old venue and help out his buddy at the same time.
#2 Has he pulled this stunt before?
Now, here is where things get interesting. It is not known why Silas Young decided to let everybody know that it was indeed CM Punk who showed up (surely it would have been better to let everyone keep guessing?), but it certainly makes you wonder whether he has done this before.
Within hours of the footage emerging, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that this is not the first time that the former WWE Superstar has returned to wrestling since he left WWE in 2014.
“A trusted source contacted us and said that this actually isn't the first time it's happened. Apparently Punk appeared under a hood at some point before his falling out with Colt Cabana, which would have been during the Wrestling Road Diaries 3 filming. We're told that it was dropped from the final cut after Punk and Cabana's issues developed.”
#1 Will he join AEW?
It is only natural that ‘CM Punk returns to wrestling’ headlines will prompt debate between fans on social media about whether the MMA fighter is destined to join AEW one day.
Right now, the new promotion is preparing for the much-anticipated Double or Nothing event on May 25, with matches including Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers and Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes currently lined up for the show.
While the Punk to AEW reports have been quiet of late, it is worth noting that The Young Bucks’ Matt Jackson, who is one of four Executive Vice Presidents of AEW, told Sporting News in April 2018:
“I will say this: I text message Punk on a weekly basis. We’re good friends. We talk wrestling. He still loves wrestling, of course he does. We’re pro wrestlers. That’s what we do. Even when you quit or retire or whatever, it’s still in your blood.”
