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The former multi-time WWE Champion CM Punk has made his much-awaited return to WWE programming when he debuted on the FS1 show -WWE Backstage - today.
While his role in WWE Backstage will likely be that of an analyst, and there is still no word on a possible in-ring return, many fans are happy merely at the sight of CM Punk returning to WWE in any form.
Even though Punk has had one of the most controversial careers in WWE history, he has managed to make fans that swear by him even now. Let us take a look at 5 of the most interesting backstage stories involving CM Punk:
#5 Showing 'attitude' to The Undertaker
The Phenom is not just a legend on-screen but is one of the most well-respected members of the locker room as well. While you may be thinking that it is so because of his experience and age, 'Taker has been a locker room leader ever since his younger days in the 90s.
Being the locker room 'leader', The Undertaker has always had a major say in the backstage ongoings and isn't one to mince his words either. One such event happened when The Phenom decided to confront Punk on the way he dressed while he was the World Heavyweight Champion.
The Undertaker did not approve of Punk dressing in casuals as the Champion and confronted Punk about the same. However, instead of accepting Taker's word, Punk retorted by saying that John Cena had also done something similar.
This was seen as disrespect and was not taken well by The Undertaker or the management. Bruce Prichard had revealed in his podcast 'Something to Wrestle With' that The Undertaker was not much of a CM Punk fan backstage.
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#4 Triple H's heat with CM Punk
It is a well-known rumor that Triple H and CM Punk never really got along. Bruce Prichard had revealed that Hunter was never really pleased with CM Punk and did not consider him to be a major deal.
He had also stated that Shawn Michaels and Triple H did not particularly like Punk and thought of him as 'unclean'. Triple H allegedly believed that the master of the GTS did not have 'it' in him and had too many attitude problems. Triple H had also referred to Punk as a 'waffle house cook'.
It is believed that one of the major reasons Punk had left before WrestleMania 30 was due to his disagreement over booking plans for a match against Triple H at the grand event.
#3 Jeff Hardy insults CM Punk
Jeff Hardy and CM Punk were not only on-screen rivals but harbored a deep-seated dislike for one another in real life as well. One of the stand-out incidents occurred when Jeff Hardy made a shoot video targeting Punk after Hardy had left WWE.
Not only did the former WWE Champion call Punk a "nerd' in the video, but he went on to rant about how he was responsible for making CM Punk a star. He also insinuated that his way of life is better than Punk's straight-edge lifestyle which prevents people from trying new things.
#2 Paul Heyman almost cost CM Punk his job
The relationship between Paul Heyman and CM Punk is no secret. Heyman is almost like a mentor to Punk and was one of the few backstage officials who backed CM Punk from the very start.
However, it was this enthusiasm by Paul Heyman that almost led to CM Punk losing his push. Bruce Prichard revealed on Something to Wrestle with that one of the reasons Vince McMahon did not like CM Punk was because of the outright favor Heyman showed towards Punk.
Not only this, when Paul Heyman was released from the company in 2006, many believed that Punk would follow suit. Reports stated that Heyman had wanted Punk to eliminate Big Show in the Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember but he ticked off The Chairman with this suggestion which ultimately led to Punk being eliminated first in the match.
It is interesting to note that both Paul Heyman and CM Punk were responsible for putting each other in jeopardy albeit, unintentionally.
#1 CM Punk targets The Miz
While The Miz is usually the one taking shots on other people on-screen, it was a completely different scenario off the screen.
CM Punk was very vocal ahead of WrestleMania 27 criticizing The Miz and essentially opining that The Must-See WWE Superstar did not deserve to main event WrestleMania and that it should have been him facing John Cena instead. While The Miz did have his retorts, he refrained from making any snide comments against the Straight Edge Saviour.
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