Talks, what talks?
That’s a summary of the latest update on the potential return of CM Punk to WWE, which seems to have reached a fever pitch as of late. The reasons for the speculation are threefold:
- It’s seen as a way for WWE to “strike back” after Adam Copleand, FKA Edge, recently debuted in AEW.
- Survivor Series is coming up next month in Chicago, Punk’s hometown and perhaps the only market where he is universally cheered.
- Many fans are convinced that WWE has been teasing a return in its programming — though commentator Corey Graves, for one, has pleaded innocent on that count.
But while Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer said in his latest newsletter that his sources believed Punk and WWE were discussing a return, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful has sources who have been much more cautious about the whole situation. To that end, his latest report on Fightful Select (subscription required but highly recommended) throws some cold water on the Survivor Series heat.
Fightful spoke with those high up in WWE that any reports of CM Punk signing with WWE are completely false, and additionally as of October 10, the claim internally is that WWE is not in conversations with CM Punk about a comeback. There were several in the company that wanted to make that clear for fans expecting to see him at Survivor Series this year.
Does this mean that Punk definitely isn’t going to show up at Survivor Series? Of course not. As Sapp himself notes, “Plans change, negotiations happen, etc.” But the clear message from WWE is that it doesn’t want fans to expect him to be there.
That still might not work, because there is a segment of online wrestling fandom that seems convinced he will be there and that clues within the programming itself are pointing to that. Some people appear to have dug in so they can say they knew all along if it happens while reserving the right to be upset with WWE if it doesn’t.
And while it’s undeniable that WWE isn’t just going to let the world know that it’s signed Punk if it has, this type of back-channel communication is an interesting way of managing expectations. The best thing for everyone to do is probably just sit back and wait to see what happens, but given the frenzy around this particular topic, that’s not likely to be in the cards.