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CM Punk's name is all over the place right now. With Fightful's report that CM Punk is in talks for a possible in-ring return, the wrestling world is dying to find out where he'll end up.
Reportedly, the most likely landing spot is All Elite Wrestling, something that fans would love to see. Imagine CM Punk taking on the likes of Kenny Omega, MJF, or even Cody Rhodes.
With that being said, there's a lot that we can get out of a WWE return from CM Punk. It's been seven years, but there's a lot of stories that he can tell with the current roster.
#5 One final match between CM Punk and John Cena
Look at how CM Punk and John Cena moved on following their full-time careers came to an end. While Cena is technically a part-timer, he's spending more time in Hollywood making blockbuster films and raking in the cash.
Punk? He's been the author of a few comic books, tried his hand in the MMA world, branched out into commentary, and started his own acting career appearing in lesser-known artsy horror movies. I mean, honestly, could these two be any less alike?
They are literally opposites, yet so alike in certain ways which always made their rivalry interesting. While it could be argued that Edge or Randy Orton are Cena's greatest rivals, none of them seemed to be "the other side of the coin" for the Cenation Leader more than Punk.
With John Cena back in action to take on Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, the idea is that he'll face The Tribal Chief at SummerSlam and head back to Hollywood like always.
But what if he doesn't? What if he's forced to stick around a bit longer when another former WWE Champion calls him out for the same things Cena critiqued The Rock for many years ago?
CM Punk's a master storyteller and one that could tear Cena apart with his own words. It could lead to an exciting final chapter in their story before Cena leaves and Punk moves onto, hopefully, some bigger fish in the pond.
#4 CM Punk leads a version of RETRIBUTION that works
Just here me out, CM Punk can make this whole thing work. Think about it, what was RETRIBUTION's whole deal when they were first introduced? They were tired of WWE's mistreatment and wanted to ruin the entire system, burning it all down to create a new one in the process.
Yeah if that doesn't sound like something CM Punk might be into, I don't know what is. Take out the arson and the chainsaws and boil it down to a simple message: The system doesn't work and it's time for a change.
From there on out, you build a group around Punk. Maybe some WWE Superstars were presented as major threats in NXT but were left out when they made their way to the main roster. Oddly enough, you could use anyone that was actually in RETRIBUTION for this. Though if I had the pencil, it would feature Angel Garza, Keith Lee, and Mia Yim (as HBIC this time). It probably should also go without saying, but don't name it RETRIBUTION.
On paper, the idea that a group wanted to tear down the system for failing those it had claimed to nurture for years is a great idea. The unfortunate situation is that WWE fumbled every single opportunity to make it matter.
So yeah, a simple fix and treat this as something legitimate. It wouldn't be the first time CM Punk was in an anti-establishment group in a wrestling company, and wouldn't be the first time he'd led one either.
CM Punk comes back, stating that he left because he couldn't be a part of a business that so sorely mismanaged and mistreated the stars. He figured it would've solved itself after the rise of the Yes Movement, but WWE escaped the guillotine all those years ago. He's here to set things right on his terms.
#3 CM Punk ruins NXT for Triple H
One of the points that left CM Punk aggravated with WWE was that the company wanted to have him face Triple H at WrestleMania. Looking back, had we gotten that we probably wouldn't have seen Daniel Bryan's rise to the top at WrestleMania XXX.
It was absolutely the right call as far as that goes. In terms of CM Punk and Triple H, there's definitely no love lost between the two. Punk's said on several occasions that he believes The Game isn't a fan of his. While Triple H has denied these claims, they definitely seem to have legitimate heat with one another.
Look back at the pipebomb where he called out Triple H as Vince McMahon's "doofus son-in-law." Now that same guy has his own brand in WWE.
Considering that, and how Triple H managed to win over the hardcore audience with NXT, there's a special story that might not be at the front of everyone's list. Still, it's one worth telling.
When it comes to those hardcore fans who love NXT but genuinely dislike the rest of WWE's product, many of them are also big CM Punk fans. Should Punk return specifically to ruin the product that Triple H has spent so many years working to perfect, who would the fans side with?
Would the NXT faithful want to see CM Punk tear down the black and gold brand? I'm not sure, but we'd get Punk tearing up the wrestling scene with Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Kushida, Kyle O'Reilly, Pete Dunne, Tommaso Ciampa, and more while insulting Triple H every week. Who wouldn't want to watch that?
Adam Cole was there for CM Punk's debut on WWE Backstage. You know that the NXT Triple Crown Champion hates having someone steal the spotlight. The face of the black and gold brand would do his best to run CM Punk out of the business again, whether it was with the backing of the brand or not.
#2 CM Punk meets the Messiah of WWE
CM Punk joined WWE Backstage in November of 2020, shocking the wrestling world and leaving us questioning one thing. Was a WWE return in the future? Well, it didn't happen, at least not yet. However, while on the show, he spoke about Seth Rollins.
Rollins called CM Punk out after his Backstage debut. Renee Paquette asked Punk at the time what Rollins needed to do to get his edge back.
Punk's response? It's pretty simple.
"I would like my journalistic integrity to remain in tact. This isn't the show where you come on and shoot your little angles. Seth needs to stop tweeting and realize that sometimes it's better to be viewed at as the fool and shut your mouth then open your mouth and remove all doubt."
Of course, Rollins responded and said the following.
"HELL of a “response.”. Coward," said Rollins.
Seth Rollins is in the middle of a run where he's lost his absolute mind. He's attacking anyone who doesn't believe he's the Messiah of WWE. He even ruined Edge's shot at the WWE Universal Championship.
If CM Punk returned to WWE, specifically SmackDown, Seth Rollins would have a meltdown. Considering the back-and-forth above, and their history when Punk brought in the Shield as his personal back-up, there's a story to be told here.
#1 Roman Reigns: A man that is who he is because of CM Punk
Yes, CM Punk and Roman Reigns. If you don't see dollar signs when you see this possible match-up, you weren't around in 2014. After Daniel Bryan was forced to relinquish the WWE Championship, the Shield broke up. WWE decided to push all three members at once, with Seth Rollins winning the Money in the Bank and feuding with Dean Ambrose.
As for Roman, he was sent right to the top of the card, feuding for the world title. However, in September of that year, he suffered an incarcerated hernia that kept him off of TV for three months. Up to this point, the fans were fine with Reigns. Things went south when he came back in December. As we moved closer to the Royal Rumble, fans began to despise Roman Reigns.
He was booed out of buildings. He was shut down on promos repeatedly by the raucous WWE Universe. Crowds chose to cheer heels over him any chance they got. The reason was pretty simple. Fans could see the writing on the wall. See, Daniel Bryan had also stated he'd be returning around January, and they wanted to see him win the Royal Rumble.
It didn't happen. Roman went on to win the whole thing while Bryan was eliminated in the first half of the match. What caused the fanbase to turn on Reigns, though? Was it just their love for Bryan, or was there another moment that egged them on?
In November of 2014, two months before Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble, CM Punk appeared on the Art of Wrestling Podcast. He'd left WWE the year before and, notoriously, received his pink slip on his wedding day. While speaking with Colt Cabana, Punk vented his frustrations with WWE.
He talked about several issues, including his problems with management, doctors, and certain wrestlers. However, one point that has repeatedly been brought up for years involved Roman Reigns. On The Art of Wrestling Podcast, CM Punk said:
"It's me versus The Shield. Three on one. These are the most pushed three guys since like Bobby Lashley. They're like, 'You're going over.' And I was like, 'uh...okay.' And then they grabbed me and they stressed, 'but you gotta make Roman look really, really strong.' No, I was just gonna f***ing s*** on him and beat em. I was just gonna tear through em, and f***ing Superman the s*** out of em, and just GTS all three of them at the same time. You know, whatever."
"So while we're putting the match together, every two minutes somebody new is coming up to me. 'Hey, you gotta make him look really strong.' 'Hey, you're making him look really strong right?'"
Fans heard this and went with it, "they're pushing him down our throat," narrative and chanted CM Punk's name anytime Reigns came to the ring. It negatively affected Reigns' growth for years, something that he stated back in 2020.
"If you'd watched wrestling for the past 10 or 15 years, and you love it, and it's within your blood, then you probably have some kind of feelings of [Punk]. I know I do; just by doing one of these things, he made my job a lot harder."
Fans took CM Punk's words and turned them into a weapon they thought they were aiming at WWE. However, it ended up being pointed at Roman Reigns. Understandably, Reigns felt anger toward those comments, but it's important to remember that Punk said nothing negative about Reigns.
Not once on that podcast did CM Punk insult Reigns, claim he couldn't wrestle, or any of that rhetoric "hardcore" fans had been claiming for years. CM Punk has said on multiple occasions that he has no issues with Reigns.
He recently said if WWE was doing one thing right, it was The Tribal Chief's run. Still, there's a real story here. Roman Reigns and CM Punk would bring about a story with real-life elements that have been building for over five years. It would be the greatest story wrestling could tell, but that's only if CM Punk returns to WWE.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
