Hell froze over Saturday, November 25, 2023 round 11 pm.
It occurred on the Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. On the shut of WWE’s annual “Survivor Sequence” Pay Per View, the babyface group of Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins had been all celebrating after their victory in WarGames, a brutal two-ring metal cage match designed by Cody’s father, “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.
The copyright discover ran on Peacock’s feed, and most folk like myself acquired able to see if we might catch some highlights from faculty soccer.
After which this occurred. And the Chicago space crowd misplaced their minds.
On the time of this writing, that YouTube clip has over 5 and a half million views. Search “CM Punk” on YouTube and also you’re sure to search out 1000’s of clips analyzing and speculating about what this man’s return to WWE after a nine-year absence might maintain for the way forward for an organization so sizzling they’re virtually ablaze.
The Second Metropolis Saint is again in WWE. Essentially the most controversial skilled wrestler to ever declare himself the Greatest within the World is again within the largest promotion on the planet for yet one more run, and everybody stated it might by no means occur.
Hell is outwardly a mighty chilly place lately.
Understanding the importance of this requires a visit within the Wayback Machine to 2006, when Punk debuted in WWE for the ECW model, a company with a largely forgotten and now defunct Tuesday night time present for WWE. Punk, a veteran of the impartial wrestling world, received ECW’s world title earlier than going to the WWE predominant roster’s reveals—Uncooked and Smackdown.
On the principle roster, Punk thrived, changing into one among a choose few to get runs as WWE, World, Intercontinental and Tag Staff champions. His longest reign as World Champion was even dubbed the “Summer season of Punk” by WWE. He was beloved, a constant merchandise mover, and seemingly destined for the promotion’s corridor of fame.
Then Punk left in 2014 after the Royal Rumble pay per view. He was fired on his wedding ceremony day. And Punk was not comfortable about any of this.
He selected to air his grievances along with his former employer on his good friend Colt Cabana’s podcast, “The Artwork of Wrestling.” In a really contentious episode, Punk tore into each aspect of what vexed him concerning the WWE from the expertise to the backstage employees. One particular person he particularly took difficulty with was WWE employees physician Chris Amann, who Punk claimed handled a staph an infection with so many prescriptions of the antibiotic known as the “Z-Pack” they allegedly brought about Punk to shit himself on dwell TV.
Dr. Amann and the WWE weren’t thrilled with this flip of occasions. WWE bankrolled a defamation swimsuit Amann introduced towards Punk and Cabana. The 2 buddies beat the defamation declare, however it destroyed their relationship. Punk and Cabana would find yourself on reverse sides of a courtroom over Cabana’s alleged unwillingness to pay his share of the authorized charges.
And Punk was primarily completed with wrestling. He would go to the UFC and check out his hand at combined martial arts. He left the UFC with a 0-2 report and gave the impression to be able to fade into anonymity.
Then Tony Khan, a billionaire’s son, began a rival promotion known as All Elite Wrestling and supplied Punk an insane sum of money to return work for him.
Punk stated sure, and his debut on AEW’s Friday present known as “Rampage” nonetheless holds the report for the most effective score that present’s ever completed.
He got here into AEW with the intention of doing report enterprise with the promotion and taking this new firm to heights they’d by no means seen.
Sadly for Punk, this new promotion was run by what wrestlers would name a “cash mark” who needed to be buddies with the wrestlers he employed a lot he made 4 of them Govt Vice Presidents of the corporate. And the EVPs weren’t followers of Punk or what Punk needed to do for AEW.
The EVPs and their buddies began leaking to dust sheets—wrestling’s largest rumor mills—that Punk was tough to cope with backstage, he was a “most cancers” within the locker room, and extra. Punk didn’t actually care concerning the gossip till somebody put within the sheets that he used his affect to get Colt Cabana taken off AEW TV.
All that drama and bullshit got here to a head in September of 2022 on the press scrum following AEW’s “All Out” Pay Per View. In his time on the microphone, an injured and really irate CM Punk advised reporters he was “drained, harm, and dealing with kids…who couldn’t handle a fucking Goal.”
Punk’s bosses, particularly EVPs Matt and Nick Jackson, EVP Kenny Omega, and chief authorized officer Megha Parekh tried to debate these feedback with Punk in his locker room after the scrum. What ensued was a battle so unhealthy at the least a dozen individuals had been suspended in what’s been dubbed the “Brawl Out.” Punk was among the many suspended, as had been Omega and the Jackson brothers.
Punk would return from suspension and harm in June of this yr when AEW debuted a brand new Saturday TV present known as Collision that was created so Punk and his buddies could possibly be on a separate present and by no means cross paths with Omega and the Jacksons. Calling himself “the actual world champion” since he by no means misplaced the AEW title previous to his suspension, Punk gave the impression to be a person on his absolute final nerve. He would attempt to mend fences with Kenny, Matt and Nick, however the EVPs advised Punk by their legal professionals a sit down would solely happen between the 4 if Punk might go six months with out an incident.
Punk made it two months. At AEW’S “All In: Wembley” present in August, a younger wrestler named “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry would mouth off to Punk backstage earlier than the straightedge wrestler went on to wrestle within the opening match. The 2 acquired right into a battle that will see AEW proprietor and President Tony Khan hearth Punk with trigger lower than every week later. In keeping with Khan, the backstage brawl had him “fearing for [his] life.”
It wasn’t lengthy after that older, wiser people within the enterprise began mentioning how WWE’s November PPV, Survivor Sequence, was proper close to Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
And the way it might be a hell of a slap within the face to AEW and an enormous win for WWE if somebody made a cellphone name and supplied Punk a boatload of cash to return to the Rosemont Horizon and simply make an look.
This was shot down shortly by the neckbeards who write the dust sheets. He’ll by no means come again, they stated. He’s burned all his bridges, they stated. Hell, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s head of inventive, hated Punk with a ardour when Punk refused to work with him again in 2014 and left WWE.
I suppose, pricey readers, 9 years, a number of tens of millions of {dollars} and the potential to make tens of tens of millions extra can heal even the deepest of wounds.
Mighty chilly day in hell. #SurvivorSeries pic.twitter.com/1Z0KZ2LwCb
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 26, 2023
Solely time will inform what the person who calls himself the Chicago Made Punk will do on what’s arguably his final run within the enterprise.
One factor’s for certain. He will likely be working with grown, skilled males who’re extra all in favour of earning money than taking part in grab-ass locker room drama.
And that’s why WWE’S brass seems like the neatest guys within the enterprise whereas Tony Khan seems like an fool manchild enjoying along with his assortment of professional wrestlers he treats as motion figures.
I’ll shut with this. Punk’s final run with AEW proves why he’s one of many prime attracts within the enterprise, if not arguably the most effective to ever get in a hoop.
He debuted within the premier episodes of two reveals, one created for him particularly, and set report scores for each. He led AEW to the corporate’s first million greenback gate. He received the AEW world title twice and was by no means overwhelmed for it, dropping the belt solely as soon as on account of harm.
Punk by no means shied away from telling his bosses he thought they had been idiots. After they confronted him about it, Punk beat the shit out of three of them with a torn triceps and solely apologized when it was clear administration would pay him much more cash.
He then performed himself like a locker room chief for 2 months whereas the youngsters he known as co-workers continued to unfold lies about him to anybody who listened. After a youthful man who glided by “Jungle Boy” mouthed off to him, he beat the shit out of that man, advised his boss to go fuck himself one final time throughout the firm’s largest present of the yr, acquired fired for it and walked proper into the largest, hottest promotion on the planet, able to make extra headlines and extra money than he ever has.
Not too shabby for a middle-aged Chicago man in case you ask me.
We’ll see you subsequent week, everybody!
