CM Punk’s first match back in WWE will be against a member of The Judgment Day (we think)

CM Punk looks like he’ll compete in a non-televised live event before we see him in the ring on WWE TV.

It appears that the first big program for CM Punk since making his WWE return might be with Seth Rollins, given what went down on this week’s episode of Raw. But that doesn’t mean the World Heavyweight Champion will be the first person to stand across the ring from him for a singles match.

Punk revealed that he had signed with Raw to be a member of the Monday night roster this week and announced he was going to enter the Royal Rumble. Neither reveal ranked as that much of a surprise, particularly once he had a verbal confrontation with Rollins.

What this week’s show didn’t disclose was when fans would get the chance to see Punk back in a WWE ring for the first time since January 2014, or who he’d face. The answer appears to be before the end of this year (barely) and against someone he’s never wrestled before.

According to the official X account of the Kia Forum just outside Los Angeles, Punk will compete at a WWE live event (a.k.a. house show) at the venue on Saturday, Dec. 30. The opponent? None other than The Judgment Day’s “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio (h/t Fightful).

Could Punk wrestle sometime before the 30th? Yes, but time is running short. WWE won’t hold any live cards, televised or otherwise, from Tuesday, Dec. 19 through Christmas Day. That leaves next Monday, Dec. 18, as one of the few remaining possibilities.

There’s also a chance that Punk could be added to house shows this coming weekend, as there are live events on Dec. 16 and 17. The Saturday show is in Moline, Ill., a few hours from Chicago, so one wonders if that might be a place he’d pop in to get some in-ring work in.

Plus there are a number of live events between Dec. 26 and Dec. 29, including one the day after Christmas at Madison Square Garden. If WWE wanted to create some extra buzz, it could potentially get Punk onto one of these shows too.

For now, however, it looks like the final weekend of 2023 is when Punk will face Mysterio to get his feet wet during his WWE return. And even if he doesn’t get the dub, at least Dom will get to be the answer to a trivia question someday.

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