10 Reasons CM Punk Could Return At 9/29 Chicago Raw
9. Adding Intrigue To The AJ Lee/Paige Feud
There's one terrific way to bring CM Punk back to television that has absolutely nothing to do with the WWE main event scene. At present, his wife AJ Lee is stuck in a feud with Paige that just feels awkward. The two have gone from being awkward "frenemies" to now having a clearly defined "feud" that in being a feud has involved people ancillary to any heat that the two of them have. Of course, the most amazing thing to do would be, for one night only, to have Paige hit the ring in Chicago, call herself the "Best in the World," and have AJ come to the ring to refute this claim. Of course, the crowd would be all-in on the "CM Punk" chants, and just imagine the crowd's response when, instead of glossing over the chants, Lee instead says, "you're not the best in the world, hell, even after I beat you for my Divas Championship it doesn't mean that I'm the best in the world. Actually, I think the WWE Universe already knows who the 'Best In The World' is." Let those chants soak in for a few seconds, and then, BAM - "Cult of Personality" hits, and there's CM Punk. Punk gets in the ring, and says that he can't believe that he's here, either. From there, he's interrupted by Stephanie McMahon and Nikki Bella, who explains that Punk is back because #1, "its best for business," and #2, because ultimately, they want to put both he AND his wife out of work, just like Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan. Punk looks quizzically at the duo, and asks just what do they mean. They state that at Hell in a Cell, that the Divas title match will be between Paige and AJ, but with stipulations. If Paige wins, she wins the Divas belt, and Punk gets a contract. As well, if AJ loses, she's fired, Punk can NEVER return to WWE, and ultimately, Punk and AJ will be like Brie and Bryan. Nikki is booked as the guest referee, with Punk banned from ringside. Of course, the next week, there's a great Punk pipebomb to be had where he could feasibly go off on WWE embarrassing guys in their own hometowns, Punk leaving the company, the idiocy of the Bella storyline, Triple H, Stephanie and 100 other topics, too (maybe include a shout to just how much talent there is in NXT). If WWE wants to reset their company, bringing back Punk is likely the easiest way to do so.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.