CM Punk returns at WWE Survivor Series
Just months after he was fired from AEW, CM Punk made his surprise return at the end of Saturday's WWE Survivor Series.
Following the conclusion of the men's WarGames main event as the show was about to go off the air, the familiar strains of "Cult of Personality" hit as Punk, dressed in a plain white t-shirt with jeans, came out as Chicago's United Center gave him an incredible ovation.
Punk took in the cheers, stared down the men in the ring, and did his "It's clobberin' time!" gesture as the show went off the air.
Punk famously exited WWE in 2014 and was not shy in airing his displeasure with Vince McMahon, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, and other members of the company including now-former WWE doctor Chris Amann. Amann sued Punk and Colt Cabana for defamation following a podcast Punk and Cabana did that same year where Punk took issue with Amann's medical treatment. Punk also said on that podcast he was officially fired by WWE via FedEx on his wedding day.
After leaving the business for nearly seven years, Punk returned to AEW in August 2021 on an edition of Rampage from Chicago's United Center. He won the AEW World title twice during his time there.
Following an altercation with Jack Perry at August's All In at London's Wembley Stadium, Punk was fired by AEW for cause on September 2nd. That ended a tumultuous year after he was involved in a backstage fight that included the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega following September 2022's All Out.
After recovering from a torn left triceps suffered at All Out, Punk returned to anchor the new AEW Collision show in June, taking lead both on-screen and behind the scenes as well.
Punk has yet to speak publicly about the firing.