CM Punk has been a big hit for WWE since returning, something expected as he’s been one of the biggest stars in the wrestling business over the last decade and a half where he became a big star in WWE before going on hiatus prior to his wrestling return in 2021 for AEW.
The return
The wrestling world has been talking about Punk’s big return to WWE at this past Saturday’s Survivor Series after the Men’s War Games Match. Following that event, Punk cut his first promo back this past Monday night on Raw.
The former WWE Champion is internally listed as a free agent, meaning he can appear on Raw or SmackDown. He’s expected to appear on next Monday’s Raw.
Impact
Engagement across all social media platforms has been up when WWE posts anything related to Punk and his return to the company. Monday’s episode of Raw drew an average of 1.884 million viewers, and the 18-49 demo saw the average rating of 0.65 on the USA Network, up from the 1.459 million viewers and the 18-49 demo’s 0.49 rating last week. It was the highest key demo rating since the Raw after WrestleMania 39 show.
WrestleFeatures pointed out that Punk’s new t-shirt is the top three best-selling t-shirts on WWE Shop right now for men, youth, and women.
The current top selling t-shirts on WWE Shop:
1: CM Punk t-shirt (youth)
2: CM Punk t-shirt (women's)
3: CM Punk t-shirt (men's)
4: La Knight t-shirt (men's)
5: Jey Uso t-shirt (men's) pic.twitter.com/Kr6kdV4VkS— Wrestle Features (@WrestleFeatures) December 1, 2023