10 Fascinating WWE Backstage Facts About CM Punk
5. His Time Got Cut On His First Night Back
Though a long way away from his best work in this WWE run let alone his prior one, CM Punk's promo on the November 27th 2023 edition of Monday Night Raw was perhaps his most anticipated.
"Hell Froze Over" was the caption attached to the picture of him posing with Triple H backstage at the Survivor Series two days earlier, such was the impossibility of his return for so long. The speculation had been present from the moment he was released by AEW, dating right up to the day before when a new version of Cult Of Personality by Living Colour dropped on Spotify, but wrestling being wrestling and Punk being Punk, it simply wasn't real until it was.
On the night itself, "Pipe Bomb" was only really half right. The short speech saved for the closing segment of the three hour show was more strange than captivating - unique for how inconsequential it was save for the closing segments where Punk stared down the lens and said (off-mic) that he was back to make money rather than friends. As it transpired, time that night wasn't on his side.
In what might have felt like a chilling callback to a different time, Punk was told his time was cut due to other things running over. He had to shorten much of the homecoming sentiment, which itself was almost too bizarre to take seriously so soon after his shocking return. Any questions over his performance were answered basically every time he brought a microphone to his lips in the days, weeks and months afterwards, but it was fair to call his (re)start a little shaky.