Ranking 20 WWE Debuts And Returns In 2019

11. CM Punk

CM Punk, WWE Backstage
WWE

This one has to come with a huge asterisk.

It’s extremely hard to characterize CM Punk’s return to WWE programming. Punk last wrestled for the company in 2014, and he embarked on a very public, very bitter feud with the company over how he was treated during his last days on the roster. Punk tried his hand at MMA with UFC, losing both of his bouts and showing he likely isn’t cut out for the sport.

Then this fall, the Second City Savior showed up as a shock guest on WWE Backstage on FS1. He joined the cadre of panelists who opine on the current WWE product and interview superstars. However, he technically is a FOX employee, not WWE.

Still, the fact that one of the most popular superstars in the past decade is suddenly somewhat in the WWE fold again merits placement on this list. And if he laces up his boots in 2020, he’ll have to be mentioned as a full return to action. For now though, this spot in the middle seems about right.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.