CM Punk Still Under Contract With WWE/FOX
Punk's FOX affiliation didn't end with Backstage's cancellation.
CM Punk remains under contract with FOX despite the cancellation of WWE Backstage, on which he was a regular guest.
The man himself revealed this during a Twitter Q&A session on Sunday:-
Debuting in November 2019, Backstage was a Booker T/Renee Young-hosted WWE studio show airing late on Tuesday nights, with Punk joining other regular correspondents Christian, Paige, Ember Moon, and others. Punk's debut on the show brought reports that his contract was with the network, not WWE itself, snuffing out hopes that the former 'Voice of the Voiceless' would make a long-awaited return to Vince McMahon's promotion.
Punk wasn't afraid to be critical of WWE during his run on the show, which lasted until production halted this past June. The series is yet to be revived despite FOX's suggestion that it was only being cancelled on a weekly basis and may resurface on a less frequent schedule.
The Twitter Q&A also saw Punk touch upon a number of other topics, including Io Shirai ("I hear she's neat"), Asuka ("I think she's neat"), and wrestling The Shield at TLC 2013, having attended a wedding the same day. "[WWE] made it too stressful when easier solutions were presented months ahead of time," Punk said. "But that's what they do."