At WWE Survivor Series: WarGames, CM Punk set the wrestling world on fire once again, with his sensational to the company.
At the end of the PLE, Punk entered the arena to stand in front of a WWE audience for the first time in years. Then just two days later, he returned to Monday Night Raw for the first time since 2014, drawing huge ratings. Yet, despite the ratings spike his first WWE promo in nearly ten years has been criticised by certain corners of the wrestling world.
As Punk was given a live microphone on the November 27th broadcast many fans were expected something special. Punk is known for his cutting edge promos, in which he takes shots at former employers and rivals, and some fans were anticipating an explosive verbal assault. But many were left disappointed as Punk’s WWE return promo was a friendly, and carefully worded speech.
Now, he is set to make his first appearance on SmackDown in nearly a decade. The announcement was made during the show’s December 1st episode making Friday, December 8th another highly anticipated event.
When was CM Punk last on WWE SmackDown?
CM Punk made his final televised appearance on WWE SmackDown on January 24th, 2014. During this episode, he engaged in a promo segment with Kane and participated in the post-main event brawl involving the 2014 Royal Rumble participants. This marked the end of Punk’s tenure with WWE before his shocking return in 2023.
Punk would then compete in the Rumble match in what would be his final outing for WWE. The following night Punk famously walked out on the company, which led to a two-month suspension and eventual firing from WWE.
Upon the contract termination, Punk declared he would never return to wrestling. However, AEW signed Punk and brought him back to wrestling after a seven-year hiatus. Unfortunately, his All Elite Wrestling tenure was plagued with tension, confrontation and alleged physical altercations with his peers.
His time with AEW came to an end when he was released from his contract after a backstage fight with Jack Perry at Wembley Stadium. Following his release, rumours about a WWE return started almost immediately.
When analysing CM Punk’s return promo, one former WWE writer believes it could have been improved.