00:00 Did CM Punk actually return to WWE for a secret reason?
00:04 His first WWE in-ring match has been announced.
00:07 And how he's become the kingmaker for the biggest negotiation in professional wrestling.
00:13 I'm Oli Davis, and yes, I am talking about CM Punk again.
00:17 CM Punk to NXT confirmed question mark?
00:28 After the first two weeks of CM Punk WWE return confirmed, Punk had free agent status, teasing
00:35 he could sign exclusively to Raw, SmackDown or even NXT.
00:40 Before confirming he was accepting Adam Pearce's offer to become an exclusive superstar on
00:45 Monday Night Raw, Punk showed up on the 8th December episode of SmackDown and then, more
00:50 shockingly, the following night's NXT special Deadline - where he shared an awkward opening
00:55 promo with Shawn Michaels where they seemingly forgot their lines, then got played off early
01:00 by Punk's entrance music.
01:01 What is CMONLUCK doing in the Full Sail Zone?
01:07 In that exchange, Punk teased "The big question is that.
01:10 Is CM Punk going to be on SmackDown?
01:13 Is CM Punk going to be on Raw?
01:15 Or is the newest NXT superstar named CM Punk?
01:20 CM Punk?
01:22 CMONLUCK?"
01:23 And clearly Raw, it already started a feud with Seth Rollins.
01:27 Which Punk would confirm two nights later on the 11th December Raw.
01:30 But his NXT tease appears to be far more than just a one night bit of fanservice, or Punk's
01:36 latest way to go up against AEW Collision.
01:38 It might actually be Punk's long-term plan for himself in WWE, and a driving reason he
01:44 returned to the promotion after a decade out.
01:47 Fightful reported that a CM Punk in NXT isn't just for Deadline.
01:52 He was also backstage at the following TV taping on December 12th, where he was "hanging
01:57 out throughout the day" and was even giving talent feedback on their matches in the evening.
02:02 Presumably feedback like "don't use real glass" and "have you tried these muffins?
02:08 Mindy's.
02:09 Mindy's muffins."
02:10 This was confirmed by NXT Women's Breakout Tournament winner Lola Weiss, who posted a
02:15 photo with Punk from the taping with the caption "shooters".
02:18 Either a reference to their shared MMA past, or Punk's tendency to have physical altercations
02:24 with his co-workers backstage.
02:26 Booker T also corroborated Punk's positive backstage attitude at Deadline, revealing
02:32 on his podcast "CM Punk wasn't hiding.
02:34 He wasn't hid away in some room.
02:36 He was running around, mingling."
02:40 A boo of WrestlePurists then claimed why Punk might be so suddenly invested in the NXT brand.
02:46 He wants to take over running it.
02:49 CM Punk's long-term goal is to succeed Shawn Michaels in NXT.
02:54 Was told he was buzzing last night, didn't sleep and flew to Orlando.
02:58 He'll be doing a lot of observing tonight, seeing how things work over there in terms
03:03 of TV production.
03:04 So Punk enjoyed his appearance at Deadline so much, he flew to the Performance Center
03:09 to not just mentor younger talent, but also to gain experience in backstage production.
03:14 While his last year in AEW might've convinced you otherwise, with his alleged Jungle Boy
03:19 clash leading to his firing, Punk does have a long history of wanting to mentor the next
03:24 generation of wrestling talent.
03:27 During his first WWE run, Punk would sometimes just show up at the NXT Performance Center
03:31 to give advice.
03:32 Famously, and very appropriately considering his first feud back on Raw, he once appeared
03:37 on the 23rd August 2012 episode of NXT while WWE Champion, interrupting a promo from then
03:44 NXT Champion Seth Rollins.
03:47 They would team together against the Kings of Wrestling Antonio Cesaro and Cassius Ohno,
03:52 at a time when main roster stars appearing on NXT was incredibly rare.
03:57 They didn't have AEW to have to counter-program against.
04:00 Following that, it was actually Punk who pitched Seth, Dean Ambrose and Cassius Ohno as the
04:05 new main roster faction that would become the Shield, when WWE wanted it to be The Big
04:11 Show and Daniel Bryan.
04:13 Even because he wanted to elevate and help out hungry young stars.
04:17 WWE replaced Ohno with Reigns and, well, they did alright I guess.
04:22 The Shield would travel on Punk's coach in the first few months after their call-up,
04:26 where he would give them advice until WWE broke them up.
04:29 Full disclaimer, every member of the Shield would then later fall out with Punk.
04:33 I've got a whole video on that in the link in the video description below.
04:36 Even in AEW, Punk would go out of his way to mentor younger talent, taking the likes
04:41 of MJF, Powerhouse Hobbs and Brodie King out for meals.
04:45 But as Lexus King revealed about William Regal trying to do the same in AEW, he was sometimes
04:50 met by resistance or indifference.
04:53 And perhaps this desire to help didn't always come across in the most productive way.
04:57 As Punk telling Jungle Boy maybe he didn't have to use real glass in a weapons spot because
05:02 it's needlessly dangerous, led to him leaving the company.
05:06 Whatever you feel about Punk and how he expresses himself, he has been consistently passionate
05:11 about helping and elevating young talent.
05:13 But it's not just young talent Punk can clash with, he can clash with veterans too.
05:17 He's an equal opportunities asshole.
05:20 So what about the guy Punk might be trying to replace as head of NXT…
05:24 Shawn Michaels.
05:26 At first glance, you'd think Michaels and Punk would have decades of ill will between
05:30 the Punk's mortal enemy for over 10 years was HBK's best mate Triple H. And Michaels
05:36 himself is also famous for being a dickhead backstage.
05:40 But it seems that shared, diva-like attitude forged an early bond.
05:45 According to Maven, Punk managed to have backstage heat in WWE even before his first ever tryout.
05:51 This followed him throughout his first WWE run, but according to former ECW writer Dave
05:56 Lagana, it was Michaels who defended Punk in a meeting with Vince McMahon, arguing they
06:00 should try mentoring and guiding Punk rather than burying him.
06:05 HBK himself later confirmed this.
06:07 Dave Lagana will tell you, as Punk will, that I was one of his biggest fans.
06:12 The reason WWE didn't like him is because he had a bad attitude.
06:17 For Punk's part, he seems to have always been grateful to Michaels for this.
06:21 So grateful, in fact, he shared a fictional gay leather fair story about it in March 2023,
06:26 posting on his Instagram - "We had a glorious 11 month affair, man
06:30 on man, that I shall never forget.
06:32 Our bodies intertwined as one, and from the beauty of Morocco to the French Riviera to
06:36 the snorkelling in the Galapagos, Shawn Michaels and I made glorious gay love to each other
06:41 on six of the seven continents."
06:44 This was a creepy pasta post, shared for trolling and comedic effect.
06:47 But it did come at a time when Punk's AEW status was in flux.
06:51 So maybe he really was trying to go to NXT by seducing Shawn Mich-…
06:56 To be honest, I don't know.
06:59 I don't get that.
07:00 It's strange.
07:01 I don't understand any of that.
07:05 Couple these with Michaels embracing Punk on NXT deadline, and it doesn't feel like
07:09 Punk trying to politic his way behind the scenes to usurp HBK.
07:14 In fact, even though Michaels has been a revelation booking NXT in 2023, it wasn't a role he
07:20 ever wanted.
07:21 Triple H spent years convincing him to take it on.
07:24 Perhaps Punk will end up in developmental, but it's not to become a wrestler.
07:28 It's for NXT's head booker succession plan.
07:31 And then all will be right with the world once more.
07:34 CM Punk will have his own show again.
07:37 And you better believe Hangman Page isn't allowed on it.
07:40 Punk announced on the 11th December Raw that he will be entering the Royal Rumble match,
07:45 making it ten years to the show since his last onscreen WWE appearance.
07:50 But before then, he'll have to face the hottest star working today at a live event,
07:55 Dominik Mysterio.
07:57 And by hottest, I mean most artificially crowd-noised booed.
08:01 In a neat long-term story, after Punk creepily sang happy birthday to Rey Mysterio's daughter
08:06 back in 2010, which had a young Dominik also in the ring, the Kia Forum have announced,
08:12 "CM Punk will face Dirty Dominik Mysterio at the WWE Live Holiday Tour on Saturday,
08:20 December 30th."
08:22 Which is the same night as AEW's World's End pay-per-view.
08:25 Not to be outdone, Madison Square Garden then posted actually they'll have Punk's first
08:29 match a few days earlier.
08:31 CM Punk will be live at the Garden on December 26th for his first match in WWE in over nine
08:39 years.
08:40 Punk's return has seen WWE's live event ticket sales soar, even for shows he's not
08:46 announced for.
08:47 And that same business boom is being seen across the board.
08:50 Mike Johnson has revealed on PWInsider Elite that the night Punk returned to WWE at Survivor
08:56 Series 2023, his merchandise sales already hit the six figures mark.
09:01 That means Punk sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merch from just a few
09:06 minutes of TV time right at the end of a PLE.
09:09 Punk's segments on TV have also consistently been the highest rated of the night, with
09:14 Brandon Thurston reporting his promo with Seth Rollins on the 11th December Raw was
09:18 by far the most watched quarter hour, adding over 400,000 viewers on the show's average.
09:24 In an increasing sign of trust from WWE in Punk, Sean Ross Sapp has added that promo
09:29 segment had no producer listed, implying CM Punk is leading the charge on producing his
09:36 own segments.
09:37 Perhaps another sign he's being groomed for a major backstage role in the company.
09:42 And the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer has claimed Punk's return has been a major
09:46 factor in the ongoing TV negotiations over WWE Raw, whose USA Network deal expires late
09:53 2024.
09:54 Things are changing greatly.
09:56 Let's just say things changed greatly with Raw negotiations from a few weeks ago, and
10:01 Punk is a huge part of the selling point.
10:05 Tony Khan revealed on a media call promoting ROH Final Battle that he continues to be in
10:10 talks with Warner Bros Discovery about AEW's own big TV rights negotiation.
10:15 The thing is, the CEO of that company, David Zaslav, apparently calls CM Punk "one bill
10:21 fill" as in "one billion dollar fill".
10:24 Although disclaimer, that is according to CM Punk.
10:28 As his tumultuous tenure in charge of WBD has shown, Zaslav isn't afraid to screw
10:33 over long term partners.
10:34 He's made ruthless cuts, and has reportedly shelved movie projects like Batgirl and a
10:39 Wild E. Coyote film starring John Cena that had already cost over $100 million to make
10:44 just for tax saving reasons.
10:47 Perhaps the biggest consequence of Punk's WWE return could be AEW losing their TV network
10:54 for him.
10:55 How do you think Punk would be in charge of NXT?
10:57 Let me know in the comments down below.
10:59 And that's not the only big shake up behind the scenes, because WWE have massively changed
11:04 the way they do their business.
11:06 Watch on to find out how.
Comments