Discussion regarding a possible WWE return for CM Punk has been plentiful recently, and that discussion and buzz will only continue to grow after tonight’s WWE SmackDown. An earlier report today indicated that sources say the myriad of references that have been construed as CM Punk teases have no connection to him or a possible return, but then we have tonight’s episode of SmackDown, where Corey Graves dropped a well-known line from an old Punk promo during the broadcast. It would be one thing if it was a common line or phrase, but you can’t really call Graves saying “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making the world forget that he existed” a common line or phrase. You can find a clip of the audio below (via Patrick The Heel).
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That’s the line Graves dropped during an advertisement for Fastlane, and it was specifically during the advertising of the match between Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura. Now, just because it was an old Punk promo line doesn’t mean Punk is returning, nor does it mean that if Punk does return, it will be at Fastlane. That said, it doesn’t extinguish the thoughts that he will make a return to WWE either, so it does seem like fanning the flames regardless.
An earlier report from Fightful revealed more details on the possibility of Punk returning to WWE, and the biggest takeaways from it seem to be that Punk returning is a possibility and that he would be interested if the offer materialized. If he did want to make a successful return though, he would need to mend some fences with several in the company, including the aforementioned Rollins and Roman Reigns.
Rollins and Reigns have both stated in the past that they aren’t big fans of Punk, and that goes especially for Rollins. If Punk were to make a return, those relationships would need to be mended a bit, as it’s hard to see Punk being brought in and not working with Rollins or Reigns at some point down the line.
Punk previously made headlines when he popped up backstage during a Monday Night Raw. Punk eventually returned to AEW in the premiere of AEW Collision, and it seemed things were back on track after several strong episodes. That all led to AEW All In, where Punk was supposed to face Samoa Joe in the next chapter of their long-standing rivalry. While the match did end up happening, it was unfortunately overshadowed by an altercation between Punk and Jack Perry, who Punk reportedly attempted to choke out before people broke them up.
Shortly after Tony Khan revealed that Punk’s contract had been terminated by AEW, and he addressed the crowd live about the situation and why he had to take action afterwards. In subsequent reports, it was stated that Punk possibly lunged at Khan, but people kept them separated.
If Punk returns to WWE, it will be interesting to see who he works with and how he is utilized, but we’ll just have to wait and see if he actually returns to WWE first.
