CHICAGO - In the age of streaming very few shows break through the world’s attention span and become must see like Succession, The Last of Us, & Game of Thrones. Must see TV is usually reserved for live sports & professional wrestling because for moments like Saturday Night as one of those most controversial wrestlers in the world CM Punk returned to WWE for the first time since he walked away ahead of Monday Night Raw in Cleveland, Ohio back in 2014. Nearly a decade since leaving WWE and months removed from being apart of All Elite Wrestling combined with the largest crowd at All-State Arena in Chicago for a wrestling event in the venue’s history created such a moment that people reacted to it like this:
OMG 😭 This fan reaction to CM Punk’s WWE return is so good! pic.twitter.com/1oxYpFXTBl
— Dark Puroresu Flowsion (@PuroresuFlow) November 27, 2023
These things are true: You cannot tell the story and history of professional wrestling the past twenty years without CM Punk. CM Punk is a great wrestler, but what separates him is whatever side of the fence you sit on in regards to him, very few make you feel emotion like he does. On June 27nd, 2011 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada the infamous “Pipe Bomb” Promo changed wrestling, inspired wrestlers and soon to be wrestlers and is essential to the ethos that fueled the creation of All Elite Wrestling. That fueled an alternative for fans, for wrestling to be presented on a huge stage in a completely different manner than they had ever seen, to provide more jobs to those in the industry including bidding wars, more benefits, more opportunities to top stars.
With the positives there are also negatives, ironically on the nine year anniversary of CM Punk walking out of WWE and appearing on The Art of Wrestling Podcast and making comments about WWE doctor Chris Amann that would lead to a lawsuit case CM Punk has returned to “the place that made him sick” and for those wondering Chris Amann is still apart of the WWE staff.
The ending of Punk leaving WWE was bittersweet, the UFC stint was disappointing. The AEW saga was heart-breaking, moving past the backstage drama, press conference rants, and backstage fights that led to the termination of CM Punk’s contract but also legal ramifications regarding CM Punk & Tony Khan (CEO & President of AEW). It was heartbreaking to not see CM Punk face Kenny Omega, continue a saga with MJF, have a proper mega rivalry with Bryan Danielson, and many others detailed on The Sporting Tribune Today episode with Sporting News Andreas Hale.
Despite that we are less than 48 hours removed from one of the most shocking and exciting returns in Wrestling history. The WWE has now seen the return of John Cena, Randy Orton, The Rock & CM Punk within the past 3 months in the midst of a boom in business on all fronts: viewerships, attendance, merchandise. CM Punk’s return has over 87 million and counting views on WWE’s official social media platforms and he is set to return tonight to Monday Night RAW. Seems like it is written in the stars for a CM Punk/Seth Rollins feud to begin but what this return cannot be is coming out and looking at the crowd with cutting promos about AEW, we need and deserve more as CM Punk enters a WWE with stars and possibility at any turn. The Road to Wrestlemania just became a lot more interesting and I hope everyone enjoys it.
Just a glimpse of All-State Arena during @CMPunk's return at #SurvivorSeries https://t.co/RQNyZDYVQh pic.twitter.com/KxYUSCycgA
— Adrian Hernandez (@AdrianRadio93) November 26, 2023