Well, took two days and reports are in that meetings will be had over the course of the week with talent upset about Punk's return, and to deal with people openly saying they refuse to work with him.  His return was not well received backstage.  Mark Henry says he expects some people to disappear from TV over it. 

People noted also when Punk joined AEW the whole roster was talking about it on social media.  Punk returning to WWE has mostly been met with silence from the roster.  Some commented, but a lot of active people did not.

KENTA says he plans to steal whatever Punk uses as a finisher. Hopefully Punk brings back the shining wizard since almost no one in wrestling seems to be using it now. Allows a fast transition into the Vice as well.

His old Wizard.

KENTA is going to steal back the GTS?

Not sure he will keep using it as it looks like crap these days.  He will likely steal another move from Japan.  Maybe Rainmaker time renamed as Pepsi Twist II or some.

Kenta always felt like a Punk tribute act so that adds up.

Here’s some positive Punk news about backstage reaction. He’s already shared an Instagram story about him and Kofi being backstage together. If we’ve got an obsessed hater, we need an obsessed lover to fix the equilibrium!

wrestlingheadlines.com/details-on-the-backstage-reception-to-cm-punk-at-wwe-raw/amp/


CM Punk made his first appearance on WWE Monday Night Raw since 2014 where he delivered a promo after returning to WWE at Saturday’s Survivor Series premium live event.

As previously reported, the main event talent was informed before the Men’s WarGames bout, and while some were upset, others were excited, curious, and emotional.

In his Raw promo, Punk stated that his reception backstage was “all love” and that “everybody back there is happy to see me.”

According to a report by PWTorch, Punk tried to approach everybody and was “very nice,” and “humble,” and “in a good mood.”

One wrestler noted that Punk seemed humble, and another said he “seemed pretty positive all around, but we’ll see in a couple of months if it sticks.” However, when asked if people were skeptical of Punk’s approach, it was estimated that about half of the wrestlers were unsure if it was sustainable.

Punk is always like this on day one. Last usually until he needs to take a loss or someone criticizes him.

Nov 28, 2023 15:47:32 GMT c said:

Not sure he will keep using it as it looks like crap these days.  He will likely steal another move from Japan.  Maybe Rainmaker time renamed as Pepsi Twist II or some.

CM Punk uses Stormbreaker.

It's super effective!

Nov 28, 2023 17:51:08 GMT c said:

Punk is always like this on day one. Last usually until he needs to take a loss or someone criticizes him.

Naturally it’s very early days and he’s never far from the chance of controversies, but I’d like to think the last 12-18 months have convinced him to leave the drama behind.

CM Punk is looking to move past the drama of AEW entirely & has no plans to address any of what happened there.

— Haus of Wrestling

This news is promising. Would a Punk interview with Helwani or Austin where he speaks candidly about everything AEW be amazing? Of course. Would name dropping AEW, Khan, Elite and pals, Jungle Jack and jobbers be entertaining? Without doubt. I much prefer, however, he leaves it in the past and focuses on delivering stellar moments, a professional manner backstage and a gripping conclusion to a grand career.

I been watching Punk since his first 2/3 match with Hero. I seen this again and again with Punk. He creates shit, goes somewhere new, says he wants to move past the drama, is nice to everyone, then starts shit and moves on. This is a guy who until AEW, even attacked fans in basically every place he was a regular wrestler at, including WWE. Fuck it was his gimmick in IWA. Nothing in AEW was new, and after 26 years I doubt he suddenly will change.

Nov 28, 2023 18:20:23 GMT c said:

I been watching Punk since his first 2/3 match with Hero. I seen this again and again with Punk. He creates shit, goes somewhere new, says he wants to move past the drama, is nice to everyone, then starts shit and moves on. This is a guy who until AEW, even attacked fans in basically every place he was a regular wrestler at, including WWE. Fuck it was his gimmick in IWA. Nothing in AEW was new, and after 26 years I doubt he suddenly will change.

And you will continue to post about him non-stop. Just admit, you’re secretly Punk’s biggest fan. I bet you were jumping and screaming on Saturday night when he returned.

I was a huge Punk fan. I got a bunch of his old gear. Then fucked over Colt and pulled all of his shit in AEW. Which made a lot of Punk stories people said over the years take on a much different light. Comes a point where if you constantly have issues with people, and are constantly in fights, you need to ask if you are the victim or the bully.

But I do not have to argue this. I merely have to wait. This is a pattern with Punk and we all know how it will end with HHH and Regal trying to bury him for talking bad about their old doctor. He is predictable. As soon as loses the title, there will be problems.

Question is, what if his WWE return goes smoothly, and in 2-3 years, Punk retires with no backstage issues? I guess it would show the EVPs and their friends are the real problem in AEW, along with Tony Khan not having the guts to be a boss.

It'll be interesting if anyone in AEW starts having problems with Edge, considering he was generally well liked in WWE.😂

Nov 28, 2023 20:22:40 GMT Leper Messiah said:

Question is, what if his WWE return goes smoothly, and in 2-3 years, Punk retires with no backstage issues? I guess it would show the EVPs and their friends are the real problem in AEW, along with Tony Khan not having the guts to be a boss.

It'll be interesting if anyone in AEW starts having problems with Edge, considering he was generally well liked in WWE.😂

I don’t think anyone isn’t already saying this. Ultimately CM Punk is to blame for being fired, but you could pin almost everything leading up to that on Tony Khan being a terrible boss and The Elite acting like children.

I said as much after Brawl Out. CM Punk didn’t tell a single lie in his press conference rant. He just maybe should have not caused a fight after. Then it was all proven through their actions in the months afterwards. The Elite mocking his moveset in a trios match. Tony giving Punk carte blanche backstage and his own fucking TV show. Tony trying to be Punk’s biggest fan and best friend instead of being his boss and acting like a professional. The list goes on.

I blame Punk for being fired and I am disappointed in him for being a massive hypocrite, but him being in WWE right now is a massive failure on Tony Khan’s part. He had plenty of opportunities to fix the situation over at AEW and I hope he learns from this.

Punk goes this entire run and retires with no drama, he will have redeemed himself in most people's eyes I think. And walk out as one of the best entertainers wrestling has seen. Still will not fix what happened in AEW, or the shit he pulled in the past though. But he will have changed the narrative in which people talk about him when they speak of his career.

This also goes the opposite way though. Punk gets fired again, he goes to TNA to fade away and he will be the subject of a future Darkside of the Ring episode, and perhaps a self-destruction of CM Punk documentary that brings WWE and AEW together.

Plans for Punk are reportedly to do face Seth, then after a while face Roman. This should be great. Two belt Punk here we come.

Surely we’re not going to have a USA Politics style thread for Punk, right?

Nov 28, 2023 22:21:11 GMT Todd said:

Surely we’re not going to have a USA Politics style thread for Punk, right?

Whenever CM Punk is not on screen, we should all be asking “where’s CM Punk?”

I think Punk is back in WWE for more than himself (or maybe I just want to think so). I think it has to do also with AJ. That's not to say she's going to come back full time, but maybe she becomes a manager or does ONE MORE MATCH and then gets entered into the Hall of Fame. I think that's the end game because no matter what TK has built no one can deny WWE is the big leagues. That's where you want to 'retire' (or never retire) from. It's what keeps the checks coming in years later, so it's in his and AJ's best interests that he plays nice for the next few months, years, whatever. Whether he does or not, remains to be seen.

While I think a lot of people have their hesitations (honestly, I didn't think WWE would welcome Punk back), I'm hoping this was a smart business decision for WWE. Punk is a polarizing figure, but marketing 101: no such thing as bad publicity. They might not be talking well about you, but they are talking. I'd have that contract loaded with stipulations though if it were me. 

Nov 28, 2023 22:21:11 GMT Todd said:

Surely we’re not going to have a USA Politics style thread for Punk, right?

If he is AEW run is any indication there will be daily Punk news stories.  Figure he should have his own thread for them since it is very likely the majority of WWE news for a while will be about him.

Maybe that's what is missing in DIS BUSINESS. You never hear about backstage politics anymore. Punk bringing us back to the glory days of IWC with nuclear heatz. None of this "happy to be here/afraid to rock the boat too busy playing Mario Bros." routine the locker room has.

Nov 28, 2023 22:55:55 GMT iron maiden said:

I think Punk is back in WWE for more than himself (or maybe I just want to think so). I think it has to do also with AJ. That's not to say she's going to come back full time, but maybe she becomes a manager or does ONE MORE MATCH and then gets entered into the Hall of Fame. I think that's the end game because no matter what TK has built no one can deny WWE is the big leagues. That's where you want to 'retire' (or never retire) from. It's what keeps the checks coming in years later, so it's in his and AJ's best interests that he plays nice for the next few months, years, whatever. Whether he does or not, remains to be seen.

While I think a lot of people have their hesitations (honestly, I didn't think WWE would welcome Punk back), I'm hoping this was a smart business decision for WWE. Punk is a polarizing figure, but marketing 101: no such thing as bad publicity. They might not be talking well about you, but they are talking. I'd have that contract loaded with stipulations though if it were me. 

AJ always had an open door to WWE though.  Reports are they tried again to get AJ back with Punk but she declined.  She may do the Rumble, or a one off appearance, but she is not sticking around is said.  I assume she will do the Hall of Fame if asked and would have before Punk returned.  

There is a chance though she never wrestles again.  Her neck injury really shook her.  Not sure if you seen interviews but when she hit the mat after her botch, she was not able to move her legs and thought she broke her neck.  For years her hands would lose feeling as she crushed three of her discs together pinching a nerve.  I am totally with her on perhaps never wrestling again for her own well being.  Hall of Fame, commentary, just hanging around all for.  But we seen again and again, she injuries the neck a second time and it is REALLY bad.

Nov 28, 2023 23:11:21 GMT @ness said:

Maybe that's what is missing in DIS BUSINESS. You never hear about backstage politics anymore. Punk bringing us back to the glory days of IWC with nuclear heatz. None of this "happy to be here/afraid to rock the boat too busy playing Mario Bros." routine the locker room has.

Remember when everyone found out most of the WWE guys are hardcore Republicans that backed Bush then Trump?

Nov 28, 2023 23:18:43 GMT c said:

Nov 28, 2023 23:11:21 GMT @ness said:

Maybe that's what is missing in DIS BUSINESS. You never hear about backstage politics anymore. Punk bringing us back to the glory days of IWC with nuclear heatz. None of this "happy to be here/afraid to rock the boat too busy playing Mario Bros." routine the locker room has.

Remember when everyone found out most of the WWE guys are hardcore Republicans that backed Bush then Trump?

How about you challenge yourself and keep the politics out of at least one thread.

How about you challenge yourself to ignore my shit if you have a problem with.

Being reported that Punk is on a strict behavioral clause contract so any problems backstage WWE can act to terminate his contract.

Also was noted though Punk had no produce attached to his segment. This was a major sticking point in AEW that only Ace, who was brought in with Punk, could produce his segments. Remains to be seen, if Punk will allow his stuff to be produced by the WWE guys.

Nov 29, 2023 19:46:27 GMT c said:

How about you challenge yourself to ignore my shit if you have a problem with.

No really how about you keep politics out of this thread.

Nov 29, 2023 19:46:27 GMT c said:

How about you challenge yourself to ignore my shit if you have a problem with.

Whether Punk or anyone else in WWE has a political opinion it is unrelated to this thread.

You've got 38 threads in OT to discuss your socialist ideology.

Yeah c the only politics we wanna hear about is those that happen backstage!

Owens being abrupt and saying he just wants to have fun in the locker room while being glowing of Randy 1-2 minutes later about his leadership is about as lowkey burying Punk as he possibly can. Owens is cool with The Bucks and had that T-Shirt thing with Punk late in ROH so seems this is still carrying over.