Nine years after an acrimonious departure from WWE, CM Punk is reportedly in talks to return to the company.
Punk (real name Phil Brooks) is a free agent after he was fired by AEW last month following a series of backstage controversies. Now, he is in negotiations to return to WWE, Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reports.
“Regarding C.M. Punk, there is obviously tons of talk regarding him returning,” Meltzer wrote in his newsletter. “There have been rumors that it’s happening, but those in WWE have only said that no deal is completed and those close to Punk have told us that it is his intention to return and the two sides are in talks.”
WWE will hold its annual Survivor Series show, one of its biggest events of the year, in Punk’s hometown of Chicago on Nov. 25.
Punk left WWE in 2014 under messy circumstances, as he clashed with WWE management and dealt with numerous injuries during his final years with the company. In an explosive podcast interview with wrestler Colt Cabana in November 2014, Punk made numerous allegations about his treatment by WWE, including that he was fired on his wedding day and that a company doctor failed to diagnose him with a staph infection. (The doctor in question, Dr. Chris Amman, sued Punk and Cabana for defamation. A jury ruled in favor of the two wrestlers in June ’14.)
Punk’s AEW departure was similarly controversial. In September 2022, Punk was involved in a legitimate backstage fight with several colleagues (notably Kenny Omega and Matt and Nick Jackson, who, in addition to performing as wrestlers, are also executive vice presidents of AEW) after he insulted them during a postmatch press conference. Punk, who was injured in the match that preceded the backstage brawl, returned to the ring nine months later as the centerpiece of a new AEW weekly television show, Collision.
In August, though, Punk was involved in yet another backstage altercation, this time involving “Jungleboy” Jack Perry. The incident occurred during AEW’s All In show at Wembley Stadium in London on Aug. 27. Punk was fired for cause on Sept. 2, following a third-party investigation.
