Just weeks after his shocking WWE return, CM Punk made an appearance at NXT Deadline this past weekend. Punk appeared alongside Shawn Michaels in the show’s opening segment, which Haus of Wrestling exclusively learned was just as much a surprise to many behind the scenes as it was to fans, where he teased signing with the black and gold brand. This past Monday, however, Punk signed on the dotted line with Raw before confronting World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
It appears Punk’s brand-hopping days aren’t over just yet, however, as Fightful reported before last night’s episode of NXT that the two-time AEW World Champion was backstage at the event. His presence was later confirmed when Lola Vice tweeted out a picture of herself and Punk in what appears to be the backstage area of NXT after the show.
Punk didn’t end up making a second appearance for the black and gold brand and with him solidly committed to Raw, questions were raised regarding the reason behind him being backstage. Fightful went on to note that Punk was there to simply hang out throughout the day leading up to the broadcast and during the show itself, he gave various talents feedback on their matches.
Meanwhile, Punk himself hasn’t wrestled since his final match in AEW against Samoa Joe at All In where he defended his ‘Real’ AEW World Championship. However, it appears that’s all about to change soon as he’s set to compete inside a WWE ring for the first time in almost a decade later this month.
Punk has been advertised for WWE’s upcoming Holiday Live Event Tour where he’ll compete against Dominik Mysterio on December 26th at Madison Square Garden in New York and later at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles on December 30th. Tensions between the two men have been building over the last few weeks through various social media teases.