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Ever since CM Punk left wrestling in January 2014, the rumors of him returning to the ring have been constant. The wide belief was that he was going to show up in TNA or even turn back to the place that got him noticed, Ring of Honor. He could have even gone back to his roots and jumped back into the booming independent scene.
The general feeling, even after the infamous podcast with Colt Cabana, was that he would be back in a ring, somewhere, sooner rather than later. Crowds chanted his name all over the country -- and it wasn't only WWE crowds.
ROH and TNA crowds hoped/expected him as well. We're on the precipice of Punk being gone for 6 years, so it seems that if Punk does end up returning to a wrestling promotion, it's closer to the 'later' end of sooner or later.
With the swell of fan support and overall interest in AEW, people became convinced that Punk would go there. Before Cody Rhodes and his friends even started the company, when it was just a one-off event in Chicago, everyone was sure that CM Punk was showing up.
A year later, Punk actually showed up at the weekend fanfest that accompanies some AEW events, Starrcast, right before this year's All Out event. That meant that Punk was definitely showing up at the big event in Chicago to announce that he was joining AEW -- and it would be a big blow to Vince McMahon and WWE.
Yet, nothing big has happened. Punk did poorly in a pair of MMA fights, has done some MMA commentary, and (allegedly) interfered in a match at a small independent show, hitting a wrestler with the Go 2 Sleep while completely covered in black and wearing a hoodie.
With reports that Punk had a tryout for WWE's new backstage talk show that is part of the deal with FOX, rumors have spun out of control that if he's willing to participate for WWE in a non-wrestling role, the next step has to be a return to the ring.
However, here are 5 reasons why CM Punk shouldn't return to a WWE ring.
#5 Could create too much drama
This may or may not prove to be a problem because six years is a long time, especially in the world of professional wrestling. With CM Punk, however, it could get ugly. It was widely reported years ago, but in a recent podcast, Booker T discussed the fact that Punk cut off contact with just about everyone in WWE.
There may have been some exceptions (his wife-to-be AJ Lee being the most obvious), but even great friends like Corey Graves were cut from Punk's circle, a move that to this day appears to still upset the WWE commentator.
The issue isn't necessarily with Punk and management. Men have set hotter fires to bigger bridges and Vince has welcomed them back with open arms. It's the possibility of tension in the locker room. Does Punk get his own locker room? Brock Lesnar does, why not Punk? If that happens, it could immediately cause a rift, and that may create a toxic environment.
The roster has certainly changed a lot since Punk left. He still knows some of those guys (who were in other companies before WWE), but as a whole, wrestlers have reportedly said, consistently, that for the most part the atmosphere backstage isn't as tense as it had been in years past. The return of one of the most polarizing figures in the last decade could potentially be bad news for morale.
#4 He's better suited for commentary
CM Punk's forays into the world of commentary are legendary. He did great commentary on RAW, but when he showed up on some of the lower level shows, like Main Event or the game show version of NXT, he was just perfect. If you're a fan of Corey Graves, you would probably love what Punk did on commentary. Check out the video to see a highlight reel of that.
Punk could add a lot to the broadcasts in the way of comedy and analysis. He could even follow in the footsteps of a guy like Jerry 'The King' Lawler. While he sticks mostly to the commentary desk, he could occasionally get involved in storylines that pull him from behind the broadcast table and out into the ring.
That way, fans could get the best of both worlds, and at the same time he wouldn't be taking up the spotlight like the 'old men' he had complained about in years past. He's not extraordinarily old (he will be 41 at the end of October, making him a year and a half younger than AJ Styles) but pro wrestling is a young man's business, and Punk knows that.
If WWE were to bring him back, but had no designs on using him in the commentary booth (being the third for Mauro and Nigel in NXT would be a great fit), it would not be worth the investment.
#3 The 'special' feeling could wear off quickly
Depending on how WWE decides to bring him back, the run could be pretty short. If Punk comes back as a full-time performer, even if it's just full-time on TV with a limited house show schedule, he could potentially become just another cog in the machine before we even realize that it's happening.
For example, if he shows up at Survivor Series in November, which is taking place in Chicago, it's possible that the roof could actually blow off of the arena. But what comes after that? Explaining his actions the next night on RAW or at the end of the week on SmackDown would be thrilling. His first match back would be one of the most highly anticipated matches in years.
Post that, he's another guy on the roster.
It may take six months or more for the shine to wear off, but when it does, it's very possible that Punk could be a guy meandering around in 6-man tag team matches a week before a pay-per-view that has three announced matches.
Is that a definite? Of course not. In fact, if WWE starts moving heavier in the direction they appear to be going, maybe things like that won't happen at all. Positive changes are definitely coming to WWE, but for CM Punk to be one of them, it's probably best for him to show up just a couple of times a year. More matches than Brock Lesnar, for example, but not matches every week like AJ Styles.
#2 It's too predictable
Nobody who says they're leaving pro wrestling forever actually leaves pro wrestling forever. Whether a guy retires 10 times, leaves the business on a sour note and swears never to return, or shuts themselves off to the world after a quiet exit, more often than not that person shows up again at some point.
What if Punk stands by his word? He was adamant that he was done with professional wrestling, WWE or otherwise. He cut pretty much every wrestler, even close friends, out of his life. He has done nothing relating to pro wrestling (with the exception of Starrcast before AEW's All Out event) for more than half a decade. He's made it this far. Why not keep it up?
That's not to say that he can't return for induction to the Hall of Fame, for example. Vince McMahon produced an entire DVD that absolutely eviscerated The Ultimate Warrior, both the character and the man behind the paint. A few years later, WWE was releasing a multi-disc 'Best Of' DVD set for him, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the star inductee. So it's obvious that Punk absolutely could find himself in a similar position.
It seems as though CM Punk is in a better place, mentally, than he was 6 years ago. Things are clearer. Maybe he has been able to look at things from a different perspective after being moved away from the epicenter of the problem. That could mean two things. First, it could mean that he's ready, as a person, performer, and employee, for a return. Second, it could mean that he's ready, as a person, a husband, and a man of many talents to keep true to his word and stay away from wrestling.
Very few people online have been fully convinced that he's going to stay true and never return. Maybe he'll prove them wrong. Now that is unpredictable for professional wrestling.
#1 He could steal the spotlight (in a bad way)
CM Punk began his modern-era record-breaking WWE Championship reign at Survivor Series on November 20, 2011. On that very same night, The Rock made his return to the ring in preparation for his match with John Cena at the next year's WrestleMania.
Punk's match was overshadowed by The Rock's return (he teamed with John Cena, defeating The Miz & R-Truth). CM Punk beat Alberto Del Rio second from the top, while Rock and Cena beat Awesome Truth in the main event.
A few months later at WrestleMania 28, CM Punk defended his WWE Championship for the first time at a WrestleMania event. His match was overshadowed by The Rock's return to singles competition versus John Cena in the 'once in a lifetime' match. CM Punk beat Chris Jericho second from the top, while The Rock defeated John Cena in the main event.
A year later, Rock and Cena continued their feud, and WrestleMania was quickly approaching. The stakes weren't high enough this time, so a title had to be on the line. The only way for them to do it was to have either John Cena or The Rock beat him for the belt.
That's what transpired, as CM Punk's 434-day reign as champion ended at the 2013 Royal Rumble at the hands of The Rock. Punk was sacrificed such a part-timer could have the entire spotlight.
Ignore the fact that Rock vs. Cena, even two years in a row, was a big money match. That had to be a difficult pill to swallow for the Superstars who slogged hard. They do all the work, and a guy who retired after only about 6 years of full-time competition slips right in and gets the glory? Obviously, Punk doesn't fall into the category of a guy who barely spent half a decade as a full-time wrestler, but he is in his early 40s.
The Rock was in his early 40s when he headlined WrestleMania 28, at the time when Punk defended the WWE Title in the second-to-last match, and again when he took the belt from Punk at the Royal Rumble the next year. Punk was 33 at WrestleMania 28, and was 34 when a 40-year-old Rock beat him for the WWE Title at Royal Rumble 2013.
The point is, CM Punk knows what it's like to be treated as a second-class citizen. He spent the majority of his 434-day title reign in the shadow of bigger stars and only got the spotlight when he was in the ring with one of them. If he comes back now, he could very likely end up becoming that very same man that took his spotlight. The same kind of person that the infamous pipe-bomb promo was all about.
