CM Punk was backstage at WWE’s Monday Night Raw ahead of tonight’s episode at the Allstate Center, according to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson. Punk reportedly met with a number of WWE stars backstage and even encountered Paul Levesque but was eventually asked to leave the building. According to a source, the decision to ask Punk to leave was made by Vince McMahon and was due to Punk being under contract with another company (AEW).
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Punk infamously walked out of WWE in early 2014, citing a number of health issues he claimed WWE officials and medical staff were not addressing. This led to him being suspended and receiving the notice that he had been officially fired on the same day as his wedding later that year. He’d have a brief stint working as a panelist on the WWE Backstage show on FS1, but would not return to pro wrestling until August 2021, signing a multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling.
The two-time AEW Champion has dealt with a different set of backstage issues since joining the young promotion, as he hasn’t been back on AEW programming since the “Brawl Out” incident last September. AEW is reportedly setting the stage for Punk’s return and reports indicate their new upcoming show, AEW Collision, will premiere this summer with Punk as its centerpiece.
Update: Footage of Punk in the parking lot talking with Tamina has started to circulate online. Fightful Select‘s Sean Ross Sapp dropped another report on the situation with sources from within WWE.
Wrestlers within the company apparently saw Punk’s appearance as a publicity stunt to drum up excitement for his AEW return. Sources within AEW were apparently in “disbelief” over the news, while WWE wrestlers were shocked he was even able to get backstage.
This story is developing…
