For the first time in nine years, CM Punk will appear on WWE SmackDown. The announcement was made Friday, December 1 after a big video package chronicling Punk’s return since Survivor Series last weekend.
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Punk will take part in the 21st annual Tribute to the Troops show from Providence, R.I. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion but it’s unclear whether it will be in a wrestling capacity or not. WWE’s annual Tribute to The Troops is part of a larger ongoing initiative to support the U.S. military past and present. The last time Punk appeared in a Tribute for the Troops show was 2013, a year before he departed WWE. In that match he teamed with Daniel Bryan and John Cena in two separate matches against The Wyatt Family. Punk’s last official SmackDown match was a dark three-on-one match against The Shield in January of 2014.
Punk’s return after the main event of Survivor Series: WarGames has garnered over 95 million views across all of WWE’s social media platforms. Punk isn’t officially committed to either brand full-time, it seems that at least for now he will continue to appear on both brands. Little creative direction with Punk is known at the time, so Tribute to the Troops could be the start of his first big feud back in WWE. After Survivor Series went off the air, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins was caught on video throwing expletives in Punk’s direction while Corey Graves and Michael Cole hold him back.ย
On Monday Night Raw Rollins briefly addressed the situation and Punk, referring to Punk as a “hypocrite” and noting that he’s someone that doesn’t matter at all. In Punk’s return promo he hinted at Rollins’ outburst, stating that “almost everyone” welcomed him back with open arms. “Some people are afraid. They’re afraid of the truth. They’re afraid of what they don’t understand, but I understand,” Punk said.
