Why Paul Heyman Knew He Could Salvage CM Punk Mess On WWE Raw
On the Raw after CM Punk walked out of WWE, Paul Heyman made the only move he could.
CM Punk made his shock return to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, almost 10 years after he walked out of the company under a cloud in 2014. For years after his departure, fans continued to chant Punk’s name, hijacking shows across the US, but especially in his hometown of Chicago.
A few weeks before WrestleMania, Raw came to Chicago, but WWE had a secret weapon to turn the crowd around. During the show, Punk’s music hit to the delight of the audience, but the cheers soon turned to boos when Paul Heyman walked out instead.
Sitting cross-legged in the ring, Heyman skillfully turned the conversation from Punk to WrestleMania, blaming the Straight Edge Superstar’s loss to The Undertaker the year before for the start of a downward spiral that led to him leaving the company. He then launched into a promo about how his-then client, Brock Lesnar, was the only man who could beat The Phenom, and by then the audience was in the palm of his hand.
Looking back on the night in an interview with Justin Barrasso, Heyman says it was a “unique” time for the company.
“That moment in Chicago was a very unique period of time. It came after the Royal Rumble where CM Punk had walked out, and the Chicago crowd was on fire, angry that obviously CM Punk was not going to be there.”
“In the meantime, my appearance took on a whole new meaning because I was so closely associated with Punk. I was going to be a distraction from Brock Lesnar, and we had to get Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker on the map because we were heading straight into WrestleMania.”
Heyman says he was reminded of classic gangster movie, The Untouchables
“In looking at the circumstance, it reminded me of The Untouchables, which was directed by Brian De Palma. Kevin Costner, who plays Eliot Ness, leads a group–they’re ‘The Untouchables’. One of the villains in the movie kills one of ‘The Untouchables’ and writes ‘Touchable’ in blood on the elevator wall. It was such a dramatic turning point in the movie.”
While many would have struggled under the pressure of going into Punk’s hometown so soon after he left, Heyman was more confident and had a plan in mind.
“I never saw the situation in Chicago as unwinnable. I looked at it as a magnificent opportunity to promote Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker.
“I knew I could spin within my persona the fact that Punk would have beaten The Undertaker the year before had he just listened to me and ignored the love being bestowed upon him by the audience. In blaming the audience for Punk’s decision to leave, which would only have happened outside of my wisdom, I was directing my venom towards them–and I’d punish the audience by taking something away from them, which would be The Streak, and the only beast on the planet that could beat The Streak was Brock Lesnar. It sounds so fucking convoluted, but when you put it in front of yourself, with that audience that night in that moment, it all made sense.”
Finishing his thought, Heyman claimed it was the only move that could be made on the night.
“On that night, there was nothing else to do–unless we wanted to get badgered by CM Punk chants all night, and that wasn’t going to sell WrestleMania tickets. So, for me, it was a straight line. I knew in the moment that it wasn’t just the best move, it was the only move.”
WrestleMania 41 Is A Full-Circle Moment For CM Punk
CM Punk says main eventing WrestleMania 41 is a full-circle moment. On night one of the show, Punk will face Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman’s Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, in a Triple Threat Match years in the making. Punk has reflected on the significance of the match, noting that he brought Rollins and Reigns up to the main roster to be top guys, and now that they’ve made it, he plans to take them out.