CM Punk FINALLY reveals why he chose AEW over WWE upon major return
CM Punk is one of the most iconic WWE wrestlers of the past two decades. The Best in the World was a major figure in the Sports Entertainment Juggernaut until 2014, when his backstage differences with the Vince McMahon-led management led him to quit pro wrestling for seven years.
In August 2021, AEW and Tony Khan shocked the world by bringing The Second City Saint back to the industry. The Chicago native made his debut for the Jacksonville-based promotion in front of a roaring crowd at AEW Rampage: The First Dance.
However, The Voice of the Voiceless barely lasted more than two years in the company, as he was handed his release by Tony Khan in September 2023. Two months later, Punk left the wrestling world stunned by making his much-awaited WWE return at Survivor Series: WarGames.
In a recent appearance on the Masked Man Show with David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide, CM Punk began by opening up about his reunion with Triple H:
"I had a conversation with Triple H on Thanksgiving. Immediately, I was like, 'This dude is taking time away from his daughters and wife and turkey to talk to me.' It's not a thing where they need this big superstar. They didn't need to sign me. They were doing fine. I just think he, in a way, recognized that this is the right thing to do. Where prior administration would look at stuff and go, 'Nope, this is the way we're doing it because I said so.'"
The former WWE Champion was impressed with Triple H going out of his way to strike up a conversation with him about a potential WWE deal before Survivor Series 2023. Punk realised that the company did not need him as much but they still made sure to make him feel like a massive signing.
After talking with The Game on Thanksgiving Day, CM Punk began changing his mind about his stand on not going back to WWE. As time passed by, The Best in the World found that his ideas about the business were very similar to those of Triple H. He revealed that when he chose to sign with AEW in 2021, he was gambling on the unknown potential of the young company over the promotion he'd walked out of years prior:
"We've grown and now I love working with the guy, it's great. I don't say for him, either, because I don't feel like I work for this guy. I feel like I come to work and it's more collaborative than anything it's ever been and I couldn't have seen that until I was actually in. I kind of took a gamble, whereas in 2021, when I came back, I went with the devil I didn't know instead of the devil I knew," said Punk.
The former AEW World Champion stated that he took a massive gamble in 2021 by going to All Elite Wrestling instead of the Stamford-based promotion. It was an unexplored territory for CM Punk, and going to a company with a plethora of talent he had never worked with before was a risk that did not pay off.
CM Punk always knew about the "devil" that existed in WWE in the form of Vince McMahon's administration. However, instead of going to familiar territory, CM Punk decided to take a chance with AEW, which was a "devil' he did not know anything about. After his groundbreaking AEW debut in August 2021, The Best in the World may not have expected to be out of the promotion by the fall of 2023.
CM Punk returned to WWE after being released from AEW in 2023
CM Punk experienced smooth sailing until he entered a feud with Hangman Page in 2022. The two stars had developed issues backstage, which ultimately turned Punk's tenure in the company sideways.
After dethroning Jon Moxley at All Out 2022, The Voice of the Voiceless infamously went off on Hangman Page and The Elite for allegedly spreading lies about him in the media. A few moments later, Punk had a backstage tussle with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, which led to all of the involved stars being suspended and stripped of their championships.
The controversial media scrum kicked off a year of strife in the Jacksonville-based promotion. CM Punk returned to the company in June 2023, intending to start things afresh.
Unfortunately, The Best in the World got into a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In 2023 after the latter mocked him on television with his "real glass" remarks. It ended up being the final night for the Chicago native in AEW, as he was released by Tony Khan the following week.
Punk's AEW exit was a blessing in disguise for WWE fans, as it paved the way for The Best in the World's return at WWE Survivor Series 2023.