CM Punk has the wrestling world buzzing since his return at Survivor Series last Saturday, which is exactly what he and WWE had in mind. It was a comeback that had to be carefully planned by all involved, with nothing left to chance — but does that include what Punk chose to wear when he walked into the Allstate Arena?
On one hand, a plain white tee does seem like something Punk might just decide to rock, especially since he didn’t have a WWE shirt to push yet (which he did by Monday night for his promo at the end of Raw). But some new details about the end of his time in AEW earlier this year, which just came to light today, suggest that maybe he decided on his look for a very specific reason.
Fightful Select (subscription required) published a fascinating report about the process that led to Punk’s termination from AEW in September following his backstage altercation at All In London the previous month. The big news was that Bryan Danielson “effectively headed up and was the face of the disciplinary committee” that recommended the termination of Punk’s contract to Tony Khan.
Fightful’s sources say that the decision was “a particularly hard one” for Danielson due to his own relationship with Punk and the positives he brought to AEW, but one he felt strongly was right — something Danielson may have been alluding to in a recent social media post.
My dad always told me, “The right thing is often the hardest thing to do.”
It won’t always make the most money.
It won’t always be the most popular.
But it’s still the right thing.#AEW ❤️— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) November 27, 2023
While Danielson’s role in Punk’s departure might have been a secret to the larger wrestling world until now, it almost certainly wasn’t to Punk. And guess what just happens to be one of Danielson’s go-to looks when he’s not in his wrestling gear?
Bryan Danielson headed up the disciplinary committee that ultimately decided to terminate CM Punk from AEW, Fightful Select has learned.
Many, many more details, and who else was involved now up in the full story for subscribers. pic.twitter.com/BbMHgAhEur
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) November 28, 2023
Wrestling Junkie’s Phil Strum, host of the Under the Ring podcast, pointed out how this is probably not a coincidence.
Is this why Punk wore a white shirt on Saturday? https://t.co/WPlJwH3Jf7
— Phil Strum (@UnderTheRing) November 28, 2023
If we’ve learned anything about Punk throughout his pro wrestling career, it’s that he’s both hyper aware and a master at sending messages.
Still nice of Punk to rep a Bryan Danielson t-shirt for his first appearance at Survivor Series though. Clearly no hard feelings. https://t.co/kv6c5OGgjf
— Kyle Sparks | Bodyslam | LoveWrestlingCA (@kyleksparks) November 28, 2023
Punk may not even be able to talk about what went down in AEW at the moment for legal reasons, much like Tony Khan recently suggested was true on the company’s side. But he can still make his points in other ways, and this sure seems like it might be one of them.