After his shocking return to WWE at Survivor Series, WWE revealed that CM Punk would be making his first appearance on Monday Night Raw in over 10 years. They teased it all throughout tonight’s episode of Raw, and as you likely suspected, held it for the final minutes of the show. Punk did indeed close out tonight’s Monday Night Raw with a lengthy promo, which was a bit more tame than those who watched him in AEW probably expected. That said, Punk addressed the tonal shift without mentioning AEW by name, and he also teased interactions with Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins while acknowledging Dusty Rhodes. To close it all out Punk said, “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to make money”, and he put a cap on his first WWE promo in this new era. You can find more from his promo below.
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“Punk took in the CM Punk chants after getting to the ring and said “Looks like hell froze over. And when I say hell froze over, I mean this is me standing in a WWE ring on Monday Night Raw with a live microphone in my hand. I don’t mean the fact that apparently a Blackhawks fan is universally loved inside the Predator’s barn (laughs). Okay I’m sorry I had to. You guys understand, I gotta be me, right?”
“And lately, I feel a bit more like myself, since Saturday, which was a career highlight for me,” Punk said. “I’ve been trying to find a way to express how I feel. I came up with two words, and it’s a little bit corny and a little bit cheesy, and it’s not going to feel like CM Punk, but I’ve changed. And at one time an American Dream taught me that as long as you speak from the heart you cannot go wrong, because it is the truth, and this is the truth.”
“I’m home. I’ve come back to this familiar place and I didn’t know how I was going to react, but it’s made me feel like my old self because this is where I belong. This is home and I’ve been gone for 10 years, and for over 10 years you guys never forgot me, even when sometimes I wanted to forget me,” Punk said. “And that’s powerful, and you are all powerful. A bunch of continents, countless countries, people watching at home, people in the arena, never stopped chanting my name. The voiceless found their voice, and I couldn’t be more proud of you. And I heard you, and that’s why I’m back, and I love you guys. I love you guys, and I’ve missed you guys, and I’ve missed all of this, and I wish I never had to leave.”
Punk made some references to the wise man, which is what Paul Heyman is known as, though he never mentioned Heyman by name. He did mention one person though, which was his wife and former Divas Champion AJ Lee.
“It’s welcome back, welcome home, we’ve missed you, we’re happy to see you. By the way, how’s AJ? And ladies and gentlemen I’m here to tell you that AJ is fabulous and she sends her regards. Everyone has welcomed me back with open arms…well almost everybody. Some people are afraid. They’re afraid of the truth. They’re afraid of what they don’t understand, but I understand,” Punk said.
“Everything I’ve ever wanted has always been here. The competition here week in and week out competes to be the best in the world, but the best in the world has not been here for almost 10 years. I understand being afraid. They’re afraid I’ve just set the bar to an unattainable level,” Punk said. “They’re afraid that the brass ring is in my back pocket and they can’t grab it. They’re afraid that the most dangerous, controversial, and feared man in this industry just walked through the front door and there’s nothing they can do about it,” Punk said.
“Some people are afraid that tomorrow morning when they wake up they’re gonna have to come to terms with the fact that their best efforts at being the best in the world in this ring, on this microphone, even at commentary, isn’t just false, but it’s a lie,” Punk said. “Because the best in the world is back, and the best in the world is standing in the middle of the ring live and in living color on Monday Night, and his name is CM Punk.” Punk then looked at the camera and said “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to make money.”
What did you think of Punk’s first promo in his WWE return? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
