It really happened.
I personally didn’t think it would happen, but it actually happened.
CM Punk, who hasn’t appeared at a WWE event since 2014, showed up at the end of Survivor Series Saturday night. And the timing couldn’t be better for WWE. Not only because the show took place in Punk’s hometown, but his return comes just as the promotion is about to begin its build to the 40th edition of WrestleMania.
Whenever a transaction of this magnitude occurs, there are usually winners and losers. A clear winner here is WWE, as it lands a big star who has proven to be a driver of business outside of the company.
But speaking of outside of WWE, that brings to me the biggest loser in this case, and that is AEW.
I can already hear AEW fans fixing their mouths and keyboard fingers to clap back at my hot take with rebuttals such as Punk being a locker room cancer or Punk being injury prone during his most recent run.
And I hear you when you say that Punk’s abrupt and disgraceful departure from AEW was essentially addition by subtraction because it boosted locker room morale. But when it comes down to the dollars and cents of the matter, it’s still a net loss.
Punk wasn’t just the biggest star in AEW by name only. Tony Khan said himself during a press conference in 2022 that “No one wrestler has ever come in and made a bigger plus delta financial difference in the history of my company … Going into year four, no one person has ever made a more positive impact.”
Khan later shouted, “He’s the biggest part of financial success in the history of this company!”
How does losing that guy result in a net gain? Ask Philadelphia Eagles fans if losing Terrell Owens was a net gain for the team. Ask them if it was a good thing that the best wide receiver the team had since Mike Quick in the 1980s left the team and went to the hated Dallas Cowboys only to have more productive seasons. Their answer would be no.
Like Punk, Owens was a massive pain in the butt. He clashed with teammates, coaches, and put on a press conference while working out shirtless in his driveway because he was sent home during training camp.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RXqxsRPdHCA
But despite all of that drama and baggage, Owens produced on the field, and Eagles fans still love him until this day because of it.
Like Punk was for AEW, Owens was the biggest difference maker for the Eagles, whose lack of a No. 1 wide receiver caused them to lose three consecutive NFC Championship Games, including two at home. In Owens’ first season with the Eagles, he caught 77 passes for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. If you’re not a football fan, that’s a great season, even by today’s standards. Owens did that while missing the final two games of the regular season due to injury.
The injury caused Owens to also miss the Eagles’ two playoff victories before the Super Bowl, but once he returned for the big game, he caught nine passes for 122 yards in a losing effort to the dynastic New England Patriots — on a broken leg.
Then the 2005 season rolled around and the relationship between Owens and the Eagles soured, leaving the team no choice but to deactivate its star receiver before the season was even over due to the situation becoming untenable. Sounds familiar?
The Eagles struggled to replace Owens once he was gone. Yes, the team drafted DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, DeVonta Smith and even got quality play out of Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor for a season or two, but I don’t think the Eagles didn’t truly replaced Owens’ production until they traded for A.J. Brown before the 2022 season.
How long will it take for AEW to replace CM Punk? Is it even possible? Who knows?
Regardless, Punk is now with the competition, and judging by the reaction on social media Saturday night, fans are very excited about what is coming next.
Has Punk’s attitude changed in the last three months since he was fired from AEW? Probably not, but that doesn’t matter as long as he is ready to work and is making a financial difference for the company.
So yeah, AEW’s locker room might be a more harmonious environment, which is important. But harmony in the locker room won’t sell one ticket to a show. Stars like CM Punk do.