CM Punk made his big WWE return last November at Survivor Series, something that many fans didn’t think would ever happen after the bad blood with his departure a decade prior.
A lot has changed since his first and current WWE runs, including Vince McMahon’s no longer being in charge. Meanwhile, Triple H has helped WWE thrive since taking over main roster creative in the summer of 2022. McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman of WWE in that year once allegations of hush money were reported.
McMahon was involved with the company and had some influence over the creative process until the WWE-UFC merger last September when he became the executive chairman of TKO. Following the horrific allegations made against him by former WWE employee Janel Grant, McMahon exited the company.
While speaking to Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture, Punk was asked if there was a moment that he either wanted or felt he needed to make a WWE return.
Punk said, “No, because it was never a thing that I was yearning to do. There were a lot of things that had to happen for the pathway to kind of clear. The stars had to align. There had to be a full moon. A lot of dominoes fell in order for us to get here. There was never a ‘Man, I’d really like to go back.’ Vince being out of the picture probably illuminated the way. That might have been one of the biggest things, and that’s both ways, for everybody who is going to sensationalize a headline. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t him, there’s just a lot of history there. All of a sudden, one of us is removed from the equation, and I think it changed a lot of things.”
Punk added that his only concern about returning was whether fans would remember him. Punk and WWE are currently in talks for a new contract. For more on that, click here.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
