CM Punk received his walking papers from AEW after his latest physical altercation in the company. As dismissive as this may sound, it honestly seemed like it was only a matter of time before things truly imploded. Punk has never been a fit for AEW in terms of the locker room culture and backstage environment. Tony Khan’s leadership style is also not strict enough to prevent volatile situations from exploding.
Quite a few pro wrestling fans have wondered if Punk could make his return to WWE. This speculation has always existed essentially since his initial falling out with the company, which was, in that case, a situation where CM Punk was the victim. He suffered from a staph infection, in addition to feeling physically and mentally drained.
But ever since Punk decided to return to pro wrestling by signing with AEW, the possibility of a move to WWE actually increased on the grounds of him even returning to wrestling in any capacity. Following the dust-up with The Elite, many assumed CM Punk could pack his bags and head to New York.
Now that Punk is a free agent, that door is theoretically open. Theory and practice, however, are two entirely distinct entities. Let’s examine the ingredients that would need to be in place in order for the Second City Saint to make his return to WWE.
Agreeing to make peace with Triple H
CM Punk presumably has an axe to grind with a number of people in WWE, but, clearly, he’s had the most issues with Triple H over the years. He’s never hidden his disdain for Triple H, dating back to his days working with the company. And now that the Cerebral Assassin is the active head of creative in WWE, the notion of Punk returning to the promotion to take director orders from Triple H is a difficult one to envision materializing.
For what it’s worth, Triple H has never seemed like one to hold grudges if the other party is willing to make compromises and admit certain mistakes. The thing is, Punk has rarely, if ever, buried the hatchet with someone he has strong feelings about. Whatever the reasons for the animosity and how valid they may be, Punk has to be willing to swallow his pride and make peace with WWE’s head of creative.
If he does that, there may not be a single real roadblock to CM Punk returning to WWE. The big question with Punk is always whether or not he is willing to work with a group of people. In this case, the key individual to work with is Triple H at the very top of the creative chain. And ultimately, it all hinges on Punk’s willingness to forgive, apologize, or do whatever fits to make a deal happen. Triple H has the final say, but he’d surely be willing to give the green light if he received a strong, honest statement from Punk that there would be no issues or animosity.
A liaison within the creative team
One other difficult aspect will be balancing how much creative freedom CM Punk will want with how things are run in WWE, which necessarily has to run a tightly controlled ship. They can make some concessions for certain stars, and Punk is the kind of wrestler with the pedigree and know-how to warrant more freedom because of the upside he can generate with his promos. As a Paul Heyman disciple, Punk is also not averse to going a little off the script in order to swing for the fences.
Working with Punk can be difficult, though, and not just for an experienced head of creative. The writers can easily rub Punk the wrong way if they cannot reach his level of understanding of the business and of the story he is trying to tell. Therefore, having someone on the creative team that CM Punk trusts and sees as an equal to run ideas through would be very important. It could save Triple H and many others additional headaches.
That doesn’t mean Punk won’t be in communication with Triple H or others, but rather that there is someone on the team assigned to work with Punk on an individual basis and essentially play the role of peacemaker and creative manager. It’s a damn good thing WWE have Paul Heyman on the books – someone Punk has successfully worked with in the past and someone who has recently fulfilled this role to perfection with both Brock Lesnar (someone with a similar mentality to Punk in several respects) and Roman Reigns.
Low-risk, incentive-laden contract
Financially, a wrestler with CM Punk’s track record, name value, and talent can stand to make WWE quite a bit of money. He knows his value and will, therefore, command a hefty sum in order to be convinced. Though some could try to argue that being released by AEW under these circumstances could hurt his leverage, Punk’s past success in WWE is plenty of leverage in its own right.
WWE would be more than happy to pay CM Punk based on what he is bringing to the table, but they aren’t going to be interested in paying him if he causes issues or does not meet a return on investment. Therefore, signing him to a contract on a per-date basis with hefty bonuses makes more sense. Punk does not even need to be released in this case. If WWE are unsatisfied with his behavior or performance at any point, they can quietly choose not to hand him a subsequent contract for the next major PLE.
Meanwhile, if Punk does well, he can stand to make considerable cash with each show, and, if this happens over time, WWE may trust him with a year-to-year contract. From WWE’s perspective, finances are not the biggest issue but rather committing to someone they can’t quite 100 percent. The name of the game is risk mitigation, offering higher incentives to offset the lack of security they’d be willing to offer Punk, especially after how volatile his time in AEW ended up being.
