CM Punk made his shocking return to WWE on Saturday night at Survivor Series to close the show, in case you haven’t heard by now. Despite only standing there and taking in crowd reactions, it was a startling moment that was once deemed impossible to ever come to fruition again.
The return happened in front of the wrestlers in the Men’s WarGames match, which main evented Survivor Series. While the television camera didn’t pan their way, Seth Rollins looked visibly frustrated, being restrained by Michael Cole, Corey Graves and others. Of course, that may just be to add to a potential storyline, but a new report sheds some light on the backstage reaction.
Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended) reports that some talent on the roster is upset about Punk’s return, which began with an hour-long call between him and Triple H on Nov. 19 to mend fences, while others are “excited, curious, and about every emotion.”
The report added that before the WarGames match, WWE informed talent that Punk would be returning at the end of the show. At least one talent expressed legitimate upset over Punk’s return, and both Rollins, as seen in the video, and Drew McIntyre seemed upset, but Fightful could not confirm if those were legitimate reactions. McIntyre was said to be visibly angry backstage and left the arena.
One top talent also told Fightful that, while they “understood the surprise aspect of the situation,” it felt like Triple H “could lose some trust among many people that he worked to build it with.”
Essentially, this situation requires a wait-and-see approach, which is understandable considering the nature of the situation and how quickly it came together. From how he cooperates with talent backstage to WWE’s potential plans for him, the unfolding events will ultimately determine how it progresses, especially entering a chaotic WrestleMania season that begins once 2024 hits.
With the Nov. 27 episode of Raw less than 48 hours away, some answers to the Punk equation should arrive soon. It’s one of the most fascinating storylines to ever happen in WWE, and the chapters written over the coming days, weeks and months will be popcorn-worthy material.
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