Major WWE star wasn't told about CM Punk's return despite being in the ring; immediately broke character

CM Punk's WWE return at the Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 will remain one of the greatest moments in the Stamford-based company's history. It could age tremendously well if The Straight Edge Superstar has a successful second run.

The epic return happened right after the Men's WarGames Match that main evented the Survivor Series 2023. While everyone initially thought they knew what was happening in the match, it seems like that was not the case. Jey Uso said nobody was told that Punk was returning after Cody Rhodes led his team to victory in the Men's WarGames Match.

During an interview with TNT Sports, Main Event Jey Uso claimed it was a complete surprise and that everyone broke character when CM Punk came out. Seth Rollins' reaction was the most talked about among the fans. With that being said, Uso made it clear that was a good thing overall.

"It was a surprise, Uce. You could tell all of us, as soon as the music hit, we all stopped being in character. We're off standing in the middle of the ring talking, like, what’s going on here? I think there's a clip of me and Randy (Orton) in there talking that's on the internet. You see Seth (Rollins) going ham down there. I had no clue and that's the fun thing about wrestling. You think you know it all sometimes, but man it's cool to be surprised every now and then because we're getting the same reaction as the fans at the same time," Jey Uso said. [09:28 - 10:06]

The return has gone smoothly so far, although CM Punk has yet to have a televised match. That will change when the former WWE Champion enters the Men's Royal Rumble Match on Saturday.

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Jey Uso on his dynamic with CM Punk in WWE

During the same interview with TNT Sports, Jey Uso mentioned CM Punk was "always one of the guys" in the locker room before he quit WWE in 2014. Uso also stated the former World Heavyweight Champion knew not to "spit knowledge" on The Usos as they grew up in the business.

"(CM Punk) was never trying to big dog us or none of that. I feel like he knew we were genuine people, real people. Like, 'Ah man, they're The Usos, they're gonna work hard. I know their family. I ain't gotta spit knowledge to them.' When he comes back, we're different characters now, and I know he sees that. Like, 'Yo Uce, y'all did good here. I can tell this is your s**t now, y'all earned it.' He's always gonna be OG to me. That's just the respect thing that we have," Jey Uso said. [10:49 - 11:28]

CM Punk is among the favorites to win the Men's Royal Rumble Match this weekend, with Cody Rhodes and Gunther being the other top picks. Jey Uso is yet to be confirmed for the match, but his inclusion in the contest is pretty likely.

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Who do you think will win the 2024 Men's Royal Rumble Match? Sound off in the comments section below!