10 Fascinating WWE Backstage Facts About CM Punk

6. He Almost Returned To WWE Before Debuting In AEW

CM Punk Drew McIntyre
AEW

CM Punk's March 2024 interview with Ariel Helwani is must-see stuff.

Your mileage on everything he says may vary based on what you think about Punk himself, but he's at very least committed to his own version of the truth at all times. Including revealing a fascinating nugget about how his recent history could have all been very different. 

Noting that his 2023 return was a lot to do with an existing relationship with Nick Khan, he explained that Khan getting his WWE role in 2020 resulted in the two discussing Punk returning to the market leader then - or at very least when audiences returned in 2021. The timelines are odd, but certainly not implausible. Punk was at pains to say he worked for Fox rather than WWE during his 2019-2020 spell as a host on Backstage, and always tried to speak truthfully about what he liked - not much - and what he didn't - a lot - during his time as an analyst.

When he did return, it was to AEW, and with more than a little venom directed towards WWE and Vince McMahon. This raises questions, but all of them can be answered with the simple reminder that he's in wrestling to make money more so than he is friends.

Speaking of which...

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett