CM Punk made a surprise reappearance on WWE at the 2023 Survivor Series Pay-per-view that took place in November. His return left many fans and critics taken aback, considering the contentious circumstances that led to his departure ten years prior.
Due to substantial changes in the wrestling world since Punk’s hiatus from WWE, his comeback marked a significant shift in dynamics, particularly in relation to the exit of former WWE leader Vince McMahon. As a stark contrast to McMahon’s management style, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has taken up the reins, stepping in as the key figurehead for main roster creative since his appointment as Chief Content Officer in 2022.
While McMahon still held influence over the creative content, he made the decision to leave the company the same year amidst brewing controversy about reports of payoffs. His exit coincided with the revelation of the significant WWE-UFC merger, leading to McMahon taking up the position of Executive Chairman of TKO in September.
McMahon’s exit was marred with allegations made by Janel Grant, a former employee of WWE. Punk, in his recent interview with ‘Instinct Culture’, when asked if he ever felt the urge to return to WWE, replied,
“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.”
Upcoming, Punk is set to face Drew McIntyre in the WWE SummerSlam bout in 2024.