CM Punk Has “A Ton Of Heat” In WWE, Needs To “Make Good” With Top Talent

A WWE return for CM Punk won’t be without its hurdles.

Ahead of the September 2nd episode of Collision, it was announced that AEW had decided to terminate CM Punk’s contract with cause after he was involved in a backstage altercation with Jack Perry at All In the previous week. Tony Khan took responsibility for the decision, saying it was made after unanimous advice from a disciplinary council as well as legal representation.

Naturally, fans have begun to wonder whether Punk might finally make a return to WWE in the wake of his being fired from AEW, and earlier today it was reported that he does indeed have interest in returning to the sports entertainment giant. In fact, one WWE source reportedly said it’s a “safe bet” that CM Punk will appear at Survivor Series, which will take place in Chicago on November 25th.

However, a new report from Fightful Select indicates that a return for Punk is far from cut and dry. According to the report, CM Punk still has “a ton of heat” backstage in WWE, largely stemming from his acrimonious final run and exit in 2014.

Sources familiar with the situation indicated to Fightful that top talent would likely be consulted before a Punk return was put into motion as the company wants to avoid the possibility of the types of altercations that happened during Punk’s time in AEW, both with The Elite and Jack Perry.

One top talent told Fightful that Punk knows “he wouldn’t be able to pull any of his shit here. There’s nobody here he could jump without getting his a** handed to him.” That same person was asked about top talent being consulted about a potential return, and indicated that any talks really need to be with Punk himself.

WWE Talent Believes Triple H Wouldn’t Risk The Negativity Of A CM Punk Return

Another top WWE star told Fightful that WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H wasn’t likely to risk the possible negativity of a CM Punk return, though that talent did admit that it wouldn’t be the first time Triple H has brought someone back with pre-existing issues.

According to Fightful, the general feeling is that Punk would need to “make good” with a number of influential WWE stars if a return is to be successful.