Vince McMahon Ghosted CM Punk After Return Agreement In 2019

CM Punk left WWE in 2014 and finally returned to the company at Survivor Series 2023. Since then, he has collaborated with the top names in the company, including Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and John Cena.

Prior to returning to WWE, The Best in the World was working with AEW. Reportedly, he was involved in a backstage altercation with Jack Perry, which led to an investigation and ultimately his termination.

The WWE Universe is thoroughly enjoying his current WWE run, especially now that he has earned the opportunity to challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship. This potentially means that he has the chance to hold a world title once again in the global juggernaut.

CM Punk was supposed to return in 2019

During an episode of My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox, The Best in the World detailed what happened in 2019 with Vince McMahon and Triple H, and why the deal fell through.

It so happens that WWE was trying to reach him via his agents, until Vince McMahon directly called him to set up a meeting with Triple H and himself. Unfortunately, The Big Man ghosted CM Punk despite shaking hands. “I had a hilarious clandestine meeting in the Borgata in Atlantic City with Vince [McMahon] and Triple H… What is it, 2025 now? This had to be 2018 or 2019. It started because Vince just started calling me. I had agents telling me, ‘Hey, they want to talk to you.’ And I was like, ‘Whatever, I’m not interested.’ Then Vince just started calling me directly. He was like, ‘Hey, I’m eliminating the middleman. We gotta…’ and I was just like, ‘This is insane.’

So we set it up. I was like, ‘Oh well, I’m gonna be here.’ And he said, ‘Alright, we can get there.’ We had a meeting. We had a handshake agreement…and then he ghosted me. [h/t: Ringside News]

Even though it did not work out in 2019, it did help with mending the relationship between CM Punk and Triple H, ultimately leading to The Cerebral Assassin bringing back The Second City Saint in 2023.