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CM Punk returning to WWE?


Supremo

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PWInsider has this:

Numerous WWE sources have confirmed to PWInsider.com that former WWE Champion CM Punk was at FOX Studios earlier this week in Los Angeles meeting for a potential on-air role for WWE Backstage, the new FOX Sports 1 studio show that will debut on the cable network on 11/5.

We are told that Renee Young was also present and that Punk did some test on-camera material. We have not confirmed that Punk has signed on for the series.

FOX had been bringing in a number of personalities from inside and outside the WWE umbrella for the show. Punk was not the only unique personality who has been brought in to potentially appear on WWE Backstage. Former ECW World Champion and WWE announcer Taz (currently with CBS Sports Radio) was brought in several times in recent months by FOX for a potential role on the series.

Paige, Rey Mysterio and Sean Waltman have also been brought in by FOX Producers for a potential role..

WWE and FOX officially announced the series yesterday with Renee Young and Booker T announced as hosts. Young will be the lead personality on the show. FOX has played with different versions of the show and how it will be presented, ranging from 3 -5 personalities having a panel discussion but a final decision has not been made on the format.

WWE Backstage is being produced by FOX, not WWE, so should Punk land on the series, which will air weekly on Tuesday nights, he would not be technically working for World Wrestling Entertainment. Punk exited WWE in January 2014 but noted last month at Starrcast 3 that he wouldn't "not take a call" from World Wrestling Entertainment if they called to speak to him about a potential return in some form to the company.

And The Observer has this:

If C.M. Punk is to come back to pro wrestling, it looks like it will be here. He was very political in his speech at the last Starrcast, talking about how he’s grown up, doesn’t have animosity toward WWE and said that if they were to call he would listen. We’d already reported that Punk’s rep had gone to FOX to try and push him to be a co-host of the FS 1 talk show, but WWE wasn’t interested in him for that, even though he’d probably be good at it. Really, him doing that show would only make sense if he’s going to come back to wrestle, because the minute he’s on a WWE broadcast, the people will want him to wrestle again. So hiring him to host the show would immediately make the show about him rather than the news. It’s basically the feeling that even though WWE went after him hard with the lawsuit that cost him a ton of money, like seven figures, that WWE is the place he feels he can make the most money.

Given he’s about to turn 41 next month, and main eventers are making for the most part for more now than they were during Punk’s heyday, and the age makes the clock tick about how long your window to make that money is, you can see the mentality. Punk did make a ton of money as a babyface in his last few years because his T-shirts were huge and did well as champion as a heel although he did not once he made a lot less money because when he turned his merch sales went way down. Plus, he’s seen more guys on the roster who are being allowed to work fewer dates. The impression from WWE is that they believe he wants back in but right now it’s nothing they are counting on doing. He did get an opening offer from AEW sometime back but then made himself scarce and was negative to them in that Marc Raimondi interview and as best we can tell, there has been no contact since.

Interesting stuff. I suspect it's a perfect storm. With these TV deals kicking in WWE now has more money than they know what to do with, so there's serious cash to be made there, far more than I imagine AEW could offer. Plus, they're far more lenient about the big stars working lighter schedules and taking time off.

I imagine the first pop would be thunderous. Triple H is probably already rock hard at the prospect of pinning him with The Pedigree at Wrestlemania.

Still though, poor Colt Cabana. Lad must be gutted.

Edited by Supremo
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1 hour ago, King Pitcos said:

Punk vs Rollins or Reigns would be good for the WrestleMania 36 main event to tick that one off Punk’s bucket list.

I’d forgotten, that was a huge thing for him, wasn’t it? Main eventing Mania? Ironically, fucking off for years has probably increased his chances ten-fold. If they could get him I can’t think of anything they’ve got on the horizon that would be more important. I wouldn’t mind Brock vs. Punk again for Wrestlemania. Their Summerslam match was brilliant.

Although, when he left Wrestlemania wasn’t ten hours long, so maybe he’s not as bothered now, knowing what a tall task it is to go out there last and perform to exhausted silence?

1 hour ago, Pinc said:

I can’t really think of a way he could come back that would more go against his gimmick/personal brand than this.

In whose eyes? I think even the smartest, most cynical fans would lose their mind if he jumped the rail one week or his music randomly hit.

Plus, what are the morons going to chant if they don’t like that Punk came back? All they’ve got to vocalise their displeasure is, “CM Punk,” chants. He’s bulletproof!

Edited by Supremo
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1 minute ago, DavidB6937 said:

Obviously we don't know all the details but I'm honestly surprised AEW haven't made more of an effort to sign him. He's one of the few names with enough appeal to be a real game changer for them.

We don’t really know how much of an effort they’ve made. He might just see them as a shitshow and not want to go there. It’d be fun if this was a bullshit leak by AEW and he turns up on their first show.

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1 hour ago, Supremo said:

In whose eyes? I think even the smartest, most cynical fans would lose their mind if he jumped the rail one week or his music randomly hit.

Plus, what are the morons going to chant if they don’t like that Punk came back? All they’ve got to vocalise their displeasure is, “CM Punk,” chants. He’s bulletproof!

I'm not saying he won't still get a pop, but it'll definitely take some of the heat out of it. It destroys any credibility his character has as an anti-corporate rebellious Punk if his way back in is to go from the voice of the voiceless to the voice of that corporation he's been slagging off both in and out of character for a decade. His built-in feuds with Vince and Triple H lose all their worked shooty intrigue if they beat us over the head with the fact that they've all buried the hatchet backstage.

Do you think the pop for Bret's return to Raw in 2010 would've been as big if he'd spent the preceding few months as a talking head on WWE Experience? How about Austin in 2002?

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Ah, sorry. I thought you meant coming back in general. Now I understand what you meant and yeah, agreed. If he does eventually come back it's not going to have anywhere near the impact if he's been on a supplemental show already.

I wonder what price they'd put on bringing him back and turning him heel, just so he can bury the fans for chanting his name, hopefully killing that chant dead forever?

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The key difference here is that it sounds like he would be signing with FOX to host a WWE recap show, not working for WWE directly. It wouldn't necessarily translate to him wrestling. Though you know once that foot's through the door they'll likely be trying to talk him into it.

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