4 Ups & 5 Downs From Last Night’s WWE Backstage (Nov 13)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. CM Punk RETURNS

CM Punk, WWE Backstage
WWE.com

CM Punk is back—in analyst form!

A listless “…it’s CM Punk…” Todd Grisham call was all that was missing.

But you couldn’t help but shiver, when Cult of Personality hit. That might be because it’s November, but goddamn did the sight of Punk in a pro wrestling context, even this context, raise the goosebumps. As for how this shock tale might develop—might he return to the ring?!—deep breath:

CainVelasquezHellInACell2019Stone ColdKevinOwensShortyGSeth RollinsasamaineventbabyfaceEverysinglebabyfacetheteasedBeckyLynchAsukamatchGaryTheGoatGarbuttWhoShotRomanReignsAleisterBlack

They ruin everything. Everything. The sight of Punk bantering off the WWE product with a sh*t-eating grin is more than enough.

It’s all very weird, this: Punk, the punk rocker of pro wrestling, dispassionately taking money from a Republican monolith to cover a company that f*cked him and that he buries, on the few occasions he bothers to tweet about it. The man who wanted to change things is now going to cover a company systemically incapable of it because he needs or wants the money he always said it was never about.

It’s hard not look at him differently, but he’s a funny, caustic man, and the WWE of 2019 is the perfect platform for this profoundly imperfect, anticlimactic role. Sweet revenge, maybe?

It is, at least, interesting, which this show very much isn’t without him.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!