CM Punk Reveals Just How Late Deal Was Done Before WWE Return
CM Punk’s WWE return barely survived backstage chaos.
At Survivor Series 2023, CM Punk shocked the wrestling world by returning to WWE in the seconds before the show went off the air. In front of a disbelieving hometown crowd, Punk stepped onto a WWE stage for the first time in almost a decade as Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins made no secret of their disappointment at his arrival.
Punk’s return came a little over two months after his very public firing by AEW, and left fans stunned given his acrimonious departure from WWE nine years earlier.
It was reported after the event that Punk’s WWE contract was signed very late in the day, but fans couldn’t have expected just how last-minute negotiations were.
CM Punk Lifts Lid On WWE Return
Speaking on No-Contest Wrestling, Punk confirmed he arrived at the AllState Arena without a contract. When asked whether he could have left without a deal the star said both sides were keen to reach an agreement.
“Me Personally? There could have been if there were some hard no’s in the contracts, but I think both sides were eager. But then you get the lawyers involved, and it’s a lot. I get a text [saying] ‘We’re going to clear the hallway and come get you and put you in Triple H’s office.’ I run through the building and they put me in the freight elevator.
And it’s funny, because I know the building like the back of my hand. I’m like, the stairs are right around the corner. I could just walk down the stairs. I hear them on the other side of the doors yelling, ‘clear the hallway.’ ‘Oh no. I’m not that guy now.’”
Punk went on to explain that the lawyers were still putting the contract together when the main event was in the ring, just minutes before he walked through the curtain.
“But they clear the hallway, the freight elevator door opens up and six steps this way is the door I’m walking into. I walk in, sit down, and I’m just in there. They are starting the WarGames match and I don’t have a deal yet. I’m sitting in there, the lawyers are going back and forth, hammering stuff out, and Triple H walks in and is like, ‘If this gets done, we’re just gonna wait, and when the time is right, we’ll bring you in through Gorilla.’ Ok, great.
Contracts get executed, and it’s time. Deep breath, open the door, walk through Gorilla, and there are so many people in Gorilla.”
CM Punk will be back in action at Bad Blood when he meets Drew McIntyre inside Hell In A Cell. It’s been reported that the match will open the show.
H/t to ITRWrestling