CM Punk has been back in WWE for less than seventy-two hours, and it feels like every one of those hours has been spent speculating about his future. Last night, on Raw, Punk delivered his first comments since returning to the sports entertainment juggernaut. The Second City Savior kept things mainly to the point, but he briefly addressed his WWE exit ten years ago, noting that a “wise man” told him he needed to leave and come back stronger. While Punk has many people in his orbit who can give him sage advice, there is only one “Wiseman” in WWE, and that’s Paul Heyman.
Sports Illustrated reports that Punk’s new deal will see him with WWE beyond WrestleMania 40, where he is expected to compete alongside other big names like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and, possibly, The Rock. Furthermore, it was noted that there are plans in place for Punk to feud with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and his “Wiseman” Paul Heyman. Those plans, however, will seemingly have to wait, as Punk’s next feud looks to be with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
Rollins acted incensed when Punk showed up at the end of Survivor Series, and it seems like WWE is going to capitalize on the real-life animosity the two men have had in the past. As noted, Haus of Wrestling has been under the impression that there is no actual friction between the two men. While “not the current favorite,” it was said that Punk and Rollins may main event the first night of WWE WrestleMania 40.
The report goes on to state that one of the reasons WWE welcomed Punk into the fold is strategic, as the company is working to secure its next TV rights deal. Punk being a favorite of Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslav was mentioned, as well as how Warner was willing to build a whole show, AEW Collision, around the “Real” AEW World Champion. That confidence from high-ranking television executives should play into WWE’s favor when it comes to negotiations.
It was also reiterated several times by Sports Illustrated that this deal was not made under Vince McMahon’s leadership. Punk apparently reached out to WWE to let them know he was interested, and, as Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in the press conference, he and Nick Khan quickly brought everything together.